In the last thrilling instalment, I covered the events that immediately followed the apocalyptic Battle of Wagram, which led to the first day of the Battle of Znaïm on 10th July 1809. I then presented a Napoleon’s Battles scenario for the first day’s fighting, where the French General Marmont, thinking that he was pursuing the rearguard of the Austrian IV Corps, suddenly found himself deep in the rear of Archduke Charles’ entire army, biting off far more than he could chew!
Assuming that, as in history, Marmont survives the first day, here’s a scenario for the second, concluding day of the battle: Archduke Charles has now drawn his entire army behind River Thaya and Marshal Masséna’s IV Corps has closed up on the retreating Austrians. Napoleon himself has arrived to take control of Marmont’s wing, bringing with him the balance of his Imperial Guard cavalry and horse artillery and the Reserve Cavalry Corps. However, given the difficult terrain, the French badly need more infantry support, but Masséna’s divisions are strung out on the march, while Oudinot’s II Corps, Davout’s III Corps and the Imperial Guard infantry are still quite some considerable distance away.
This can be played as a stand-alone scenario using the orders of battle and unit labels supplied below, which take account of the historical casualties from the first day. Alternatively, this scenario can be played as the second game of a multi-day battle and I include rules for the overnight reorganisation (however, you’ll then need to make your own unit labels to account for those units that suffered casualties during the first day).
In a future article I’ll present a fictitious third day scenario, where peace does not suddenly break out and where Napoleon has brought the full weight of his army to bear on Archduke Charles’ Austrian defenders.
Historical Background
In Part 1 I covered the retreat and pursuit from Wagram, up until the start of the Battle of Znaïm on 10th July. As the article was starting to get quite long at that point, I decided to cover the historical events of both days of the battle here. This therefore, continues directly on from the last article.
The First Day of Battle (10th July 1809)
With noon having already passed, Marmont was finally ready to attack. He advanced on Steyrer’s grenadier brigade with the best part of two divisions; on the right, Delzon’s Brigade of Clauzel’s Division, led by swarms of skirmishers from the 8e Légère and on the left by Minucci’s 2nd Bavarian Division, preceded by the 6th Light Infantry Battalion and the schützen detachments of the division’s four line infantry regiments.
The tactical situation at mid-day on 10th July (Day 1)
Marmont
Despite being massively outnumbered and out-gunned, Steyrer’s grenadiers held out for a remarkably long time before finally forced to grudgingly give ground as Clauzel took Zuckerhandl and Montbrun drove back Schneller’s uhlans. Nevertheless, Steyrer’s men maintained their order as they fell back to Klein-Tesswitz, even repelling a charge by Seydewitz’s Bavarian cavalry.
An attempt by Rothkirch’s Austrian dragoon brigade to intervene was decisively repulsed by Montbrun’s troopers. Montbrun’s defeat of the Austrian cavalry had the potential to cause havoc among the great column of wagons along the Iglau Highway, though the six Austrian reserve cuirassier regiments moved to block the French cavalry’s rampage and Montbrun was forced to fall back.
Archduke Charles
Having forced Steyrer’s grenadiers back off the heights, Marmont was finally able to take in the view beyond the crest, into the bowl of the Thaya valley… And what he saw utterly shocked him. The entire length of the valley before him was filled with men and wagons slowly marching north through Znaïm. The presence of bearskin-clad grenadiers and cuirassiers therefore suddenly made sense; this was not merely the rearguard of Rosenberg’s IV Corps. This was the flank-guard for the entire main Austrian army!
As rich as a prize as this was, he estimated that there were now around 40,000 Austrian troops massed in the Thaya valley; a number that more than doubled his own! Furthermore, there appeared to be an endless stream of Austrian troops approaching from the south, so the Austrian numbers would only increase. He now thoroughly regretted refusing Davout’s offer of assistance of the previous day.
Montbrun
There was clearly now no possibility of attacking to take Znaïm and cutting Austrian forces off south of the Thaya. Marmont therefore resigned himself to taking a defensive stance, hoping that the Emperor could quickly bring sufficient forces to bear. However, in order to stand a better chance of defending this position, he would first need to mount limited attacks in order to secure defensible ‘bastions’ along his line and to that end he ordered GM Minucci to take his Bavarians forward and capture the village of Klein-Tesswitz and the vinyard-covered hill to its north. Possession of these points would control the main crossing-point over the Leska stream (which for much of its length ran along a deep ravine) and would also dominate the Pumlitz Ford over the River Thaya.
Prochaszka
As Steyrer’s grenadiers withdrew, the French and Bavarians were quick to unlimber a powerful artillery force on the heights they had just vacated. As the guns opened fire to bombard the retreating Austrians, GM Beckers led his brigade rapidly forward, taking advantage of the Austrian disorder to quickly occupy part of the village. However, the disciplined grenadiers soon turned the tables and ejected the Bavarians from their toehold. Nevertheless, the full weight of the Bavarian 6th Infantry Regiment had now arrived and the village was soon captured, with one Bavarian battalion pushing up onto the heights beyond.
Prochaszka however, had now brought forward his two reserve grenadier brigades to support Steyrer and the Bavarians were once again forced to withdraw. This was the start of what was to be a bitter and bloody see-saw battle for possession of the village that would continue throughout the day, with the village changing hands up to six times and resulting in the highest losses of the campaign for the Bavarian contingent!
Claparède
Becker now committed the 7th Infantry Regiment and these were further supported by the Voltigeur companies of the 81e de Ligne from Bertrand’s brigade of Claparède’s Division. This Franco-Bavarian force successfully managed to capture the village once again. However, Bellegarde’s Austrian I Corps had now arrived. Bellegarde was ordered to cross over the Thaya via the Pumlitz Ford and to take up position between Znaïm and Brenditz. Clary’s Division managed to cross over without incident before the Bavarians had taken possession of Klein-Tesswitz and then managed to pass over the Leska and march north-westward in compliance with its orders, followed by one of Henneberg’s regiments. However, as Henneberg’s Division attempted the same manoeuvre, the Bavarians managed to capture the village, thus sucking Henneberg into the battle.
Bellegarde
Personally leading an immediate counter-attack, Henneberg managed to eject the Bavarians from the village yet again, thus enabling the rest of I Corps to pass by unmolested. Mission complete, Henneberg withdrew from the village, handing control back to the grenadiers, just as yet another Bavarian attack arrived.
The battle for Klein-Tesswitz and the hill continued to see-saw back and forth until such time that Marmont, seeing the situation becoming absolutely desperate for the Bavarian infantry, rode over to GM Preysing, whose Bavarian cavalry were sheltering among some cherry orchards. To launch a cavalry charge across two streams, into the heart of the Austrian grenadiers was a suicide mission and Marmont felt that he could not in good conscience order such a thing. However, having informed Preysing of the desperate situation, Preysing ordered his squadrons forward.
This was most definitely not cavalry country and perhaps for this reason, the Austrian grenadiers were completely surprised when the Bavarian troopers burst upon them from the northern side of the village! Most of the grenadier battalions managed to close ranks and form ‘battalion-masse’ to defend themselves against the onslaught, but six grenadier companies were not so quick and were soon broken and fleeing to the rear, forcing the dismayed Prochaszka to ride forward and personally rally them.
Preysing and his troopers now found themselves in the middle of very angry Austrians and started to suffer significant casualties from Austrian artillery deployed in and around the earthworks, as well as skirmishers sniping from the vineyards. Some of Nostitz’s Insurrection Hussar squadrons were also now crossing over the Oblass bridge in an attempt to counter the Bavarian horse. Duty done and having provided the infantry with valuable breathing-space, Presying and his men quickly withdrew they way they had come.
Hohenzollern-Hechingen
Preysing’s charge, along with the injection of Bertrand’s fresh French infantry brigade into the battle (79e & 81e de Ligne), finally secured Klein-Tesswitz and as the French infantry took over responsibility for the village during the evening, the bloodied Bavarians were finally withdrawn to the heights.
The arrival of Hohenzollern’s Austrian II Corps at Pumlitz failed to change this situation. II Corps had originally been ordered to recapture Laa, or at the very least cross over the Thaya between Znaïm and Laa to threaten Marmont’s advance on Znaïm. However, Hohenzollern, wracked by caution, had completely failed to complete either objective and instead arrived sheepishly at Pumlitz in Bellegarde’s wake. Marmont’s troops were now firmly in possession of Klein-Tesswitz and completely dominated the exit from the Pumlitz Ford, so aside from a desultory exchange of fire with the Franco-Bavarian artillery deployed on the heights, Hohenzollern was able to achieve nothing.
Kolowrat-Krakowsky
In the meantime, colossal numbers of Austrian troops were arriving at Znaïm. Kolowrat-Krakowsky’s III Corps arrived at around the same time as Henneberg’s attack. However, with the area already congested with Austrian formations, III Corps were ordered to march directly to Brenditz, where they deployed to the north of the village, in support of the Cavalry Reserve, which spent the entire day engaged in an indecisive horse-artillery duel with Montbrun.
Bellegarde’s I Corps would spend the rest of the day engaged in half-hearted skirmishing near the villages of Zuckerhandl and Kukrowitz, which had already been secured by Clauzel’s French infantry. Bellegarde was briefly ordered to seize Zuckerhandl, but Archduke Charles cancelled that order almost as soon as I Corps began to move and so the skirmishing continued until nightfall.
The tactical situation during the evening of 10th July (Day 1)
Klenau
Klenau’s VI Corps had been continually in action as the army rearguard since Wagram, until finally being relieved by V Corps during the night of the 9th/10th. At long last, they arrived at Znaïm during the mid-afternoon and eventually came to a well-deserved halt to the north of the city, where they became the army reserve. After a brief rest during the late afternoon and evening of the 10th, they would march off again at midnight, to establish a new defensive position further north on the road to Iglau.
As night fell and the fighting petered out, Hohenzollern’s II Corps, Nostitz’s Cavalry Division and Scovaud’s Grenadier Brigade were also on the move, crossing over the Thaya at Oblass to take position near Brenditz. Nostitz would at last rejoin the Cavalry Reserve (now commanded by Schwarzenberg following Liechtenstein’s departure to seek negotiations with Napoleon) and Scovaud would rejoin Prochaszka’s battered Grenadier Division, which was once again the army’s infantry reserve.
The last Austrian formation to arrive at Znaïm that night was Reuss-Plauen’s V Corps, which had spent the day engaged in a series of sharp rearguard actions with Masséna’s advance guard at Schöngrabern and Guntersdorf. The gathering night finally enabled V Corps to disengage successfully and at last they crossed the Thaya at Oblass during the early hours of the 11th, with orders to defend the southern approach to the city.
Napoleon Reacts (late 10th to early 11th July 1809)
Napoleon
As reports began pouring in from Marmont during the afternoon of 10th July, Napoleon quickly realised that his earlier assumptions about the probable Austrian main line of retreat via Brünn were wrong and that Archduke Charles’ main army was on the western route, retreating via Znaïm. He now had a golden opportunity to destroy the enemy, but only if they could be trapped at the Znaïm defile and sufficient forces brought to bear. This last part was going to be the most difficult, as the bulk of available infantry formations; the Imperial Guard, Oudinot’s II Corps and Davout’s III Corps, were all at least two hard marches distant from Znaïm.
Napoleon immediately saddled up and set off to Laa, closely followed by the entirety of Walther’s Guard Cavalry Division and the four batteries of Guard Horse Artillery. The reserve Cuirassier Divisions of Nansouty and Arrighi de Casanova were also ordered to march at best speed to Laa. The cavalry would be able to assemble there during the night and then would be able to intervene in the battle on the 11th, but the infantry were unlikely to be able to intervene until the 12th. In the west meanwhile, Masséna would be able to bring most of his corps to Znaïm by mid-day on the 11th, though his rearguard divisions, spread over 50km from Stockerau to Schöngrabern, would probably take two days to catch up.
The approximate tactical situation at 1000hrs, 11th July (Day 2)
The Second Day of Battle (11th July 1809)
Masséna
The hot, dry weather of the previous week had broken during the night and both armies woke to miserable weather and soft ground, which only served to tire the already-exhausted troops on both sides. The departure of the Austrian VI Corps and much of the Austrian baggage during the night led Marmont to report that ‘the enemy is in full retreat’. However, this assessment proved optimistic, as Charles still had five army corps arrayed against him.
Masséna’s French IV Corps broke camp at 0400hrs, but Reuss-Plauen’s V Corps was already long-gone and was already in fresh defensive positions north of the Thaya long before the main body of Masséna’s advance guard appeared before Oblass at around 1000hrs.
Masséna’s arrival at Oblass roughly coincided with Napoleon’s arrival at Marmont’s headquarters and after a relatively quiet morning, the battle suddenly resumed. As Piré’s light cavalry marched toward the Pumlitz Ford, Legrand’s division advanced directly on the bridge at Oblass. The French and Badener artillery provided close and effective support, quickly driving back Grenzer skirmishers and a detachment that had been attempting to barricade the bridge.
Baden Jäger
Reuss-Plauen
Spearheaded by the Baden Jäger Battalion ‘Lingg’, Legrand’s infantry quickly captured the Oblass bridge and the Badeners also discovered a fordable crossing-point nearby. Legrand’s infantry quickly swarmed across, followed closely by the 11th Cuirassiers from Guiton’s brigade of Saint-Sulpice’s 2nd Cuirassier Division, who had used the ford discovered by the Badeners. Piré’s light cavalry meanwhile, made contact with Marmont’s troops at Klein-Tesswitz.
Masséna, observing the developing battle from his very conspicuous white phaeton (wounds suffered at Aspern-Essling meant that he could not yet ride a horse), ordered Legrand to commit fully to the attack. However, Carra Saint-Cyr’s division had not yet appeared, so there was no immediate reserve available apart from Saint-Sulpice’s cuirassiers, who would be of little use in such close terrain.
Legrand
Nevertheless, Legrand made good headway against Klebelsberg’s division of Reuss’ V Corps, aided by the effective artillery support. In particular, a battery of Baden gunners had marched around the bend of the Thaya to position themselves on high ground west of Klosterbruck, from where they could enfilade Reuss’ line. Reuss’ problems were compounded by the appearance of Bavarian skirmishers emerging from Klein-Tesswitz on his left flank.
Over in Marmont’s sector, the Emperor coolly rode the lines, pausing to praise the gunners and direct the fire of individual guns, casually disregarding the considerable amount of incoming Austrian fire. This performance served to calm the nerves of Marmont’s troops, who had now been in action for 24 hours and who knew that they were heavily outnumbered. To that end, Napoleon could not fail to realise that while Archduke Charles’ ponderous baggage train (which after 24 hours, was still plodding north from Znaïm) was more vulnerable than it had ever been, he still did not have sufficient combat-power with which to punch through on his right, particularly given that this was where Archduke Charles had placed the bulk of his troops (II, III & Reserve Corps).
Klebelsberg
Napoleon desperately needed Davout’s III Corps to arrive soon, not to mention Oudinot’s II Corps and the Guard, but this was highly unlikely to happen before nightfall. Napoleon had huge numbers of élite cavalry in place, but they would be able to achieve little without infantry support. His best strategy would therefore be for Masséna and Marmont to press hard against the Austrian I and V Corps to the south and east of Znaïm, forcing Archduke Charles to keep sufficient forces in place to prevent a collapse. With significant Austrian forces thus pinned, Napoleon would then bring his entire weight to bear on the 12th.
With the bulk of his considerable train now well on the way to Iglau, Archduke Charles had absolutely no intention of remaining at Znaïm. To that end and as mentioned above, he had already sent VI Corps north and was preparing to withdraw the Grenadiers, III, II and I Corps that evening, covered by the V and Cavalry Reserve Corps, who would then withdraw once again under cover of darkness. In reality, his manpower numbers actually doubled those that Napoleon had thus far managed to bring to bear, but the Austrians were convinced that Davout’s III Corps had already joined Napoleon and that Prince Eugène’s Army of Italy was also en route, so Archduke Charles massively overestimated the French strength and remained on the defensive. In addition to the military plans, Charles also hoped that Prince Liechtenstein’s negotiations could bring a swift end to this terrible and pointless war.
Nostitz
The situation on Marmont’s wing therefore remained largely unchanged throughout the day. As the skirmishers engaged each other among the vineyards, the heavy 12-pounders of both sides hammered away at each other across the valley of the Kukrowitzbach to little effect. The French infantry made a couple of demonstrative attacks on the heights beyond the stream, but with orders to not over-commit themselves, neither attack made much headway, though they did suck in Bellegarde’s reserve brigades, which was in line with Napoleon’s plan to pin enemy forces in place. Montbrun’s cavalry similarly made a demonstrative advance, but Schwarzenberg’s Austrian horse weren’t inclined to get stuck in and so the huge cavalry reserves of both sides glowered at each other across the fields between Kukrowitz and Windau.
The situation was somewhat different on Masséna’s front as Legrand’s outnumbered division made remarkable headway against Reuss-Plauen’s V Corps. With all his reserve brigades fully committed, Reuss was forced to appeal to Archduke Charles for help. However, Archduke Charles was now fixed in a defensive mindset and instead of launching a devastating counter-attack against Legrand’s pitifully weak command, he committed only two of Prochaskza’s four grenadier brigades (Scovaud’s and Melgum’s) and then only to bolster Reuss’ defence.
The lead grenadier brigade (Melgum’s) arrived at the southern (‘Vienna’) gate of Znaïm at around 1400hrs, by which time Legrand’s leading battalions had almost reached the city walls. Although he had orders merely to establish a defensive line, Melgum judged that the enemy had already advanced beyond the line he had been ordered to defend and therefore ordered his grenadiers to mount an immediate counter-attack.
It was at this point that nature played a hand…
Carra Saint-Cyr
A deluge the likes of which few had ever seen before, suddenly descended from the clouds, utterly soaking every man and every cartridge. Infantry fire stopped almost immediately and artillery fire slowed. Visibility was also reduced by a considerable degree, directly resulting in the mid-identification of targets and ‘friendly fire’ by those batteries still able to fire. Astonishingly, entire units, particularly those who had broken down into skirmish order, lost cohesion as men sought cover from the downpour!
It was into this utter confusion that the closely-formed Austrian grenadiers now poured. Starting at the walk, then at the double and then at an all-out run, the grenadiers swept down the highway toward the bridge, scattering the French and Badener infantry, whose discipline and cohesion had now completely collapsed!
Destabenrath
As confused and panicked reports came back from the far bank of the Thaya, Masséna immediately ordered the freshly-arrived division of Carra Saint-Cyr to advance over the bridge and restore the situation. The commander of the lead brigade, GB Destabenrath was unhappy at being thrown into this situation, but nevertheless his brigade led the way across the bridge. However, as they tried to negotiate the traffic-jam of panicked fugitives beyond, the Austrian grenadiers struck, throwing this counter-attack into utter confusion. Destabenrath himself was captured, having suffered five sword-cuts. Also captured were Masséna’s senior engineer, GB Lazowski and Masséna’s chief-of-staff, GB Fririon. Fririon however, managed to escape his Hungarian captors in the confusion by leaping over the parapet and into the river!
Fririon
As the rest of Reuss’ V Corps came down the hill to join the grenadiers’ attack, the situation at the bridge became simply a confused mass of brawling men. Unable to use their firearms in the driving rain, they were reduced to attacking each other with bayonets, swords and clubbed muskets in a mud-soaked scene of mediaeval brutality.
With Legrand’s division almost completely broken and with Carra Saint-Cyr’s division blocked, Masséna called up his only remaining reserve; Saint-Sulpice’s 2nd Cuirassier Division. This was far from an ideal situation for cavalry, but there was no other choice and Masséna dispatched his aide-de-camp, the 17 year-old Markgraf Wilhelm von Baden to deliver the order.
Markgraf Wilhelm von Baden
Further drama then occurred while Masséna was leading the cuirassiers forward in his phaeton; his driver was knocked (unhurt) from the carriage by a cannonball that had struck his seat and the panicked horses threatened to carry the Marshal into captivity! Despite the pain of his wounds, Masséna somehow managed to regain control of the panicked horses and then continued calmly issuing orders from his carriage as if nothing had happened.
Leading the counter-attack was Colonel l’Héritier’s 10e Cuirassiers. As mentioned earlier, the 11e Cuirassiers of the same brigade (GB Guiton’s) were already across the river, but for some reason didn’t counter-charge the Austrian attack. Perhaps the ground was too soft following the rain, or they couldn’t see the events at the bridge, or perhaps they had bigger fish to fry? Whatever the reason, the 11e Cuirassiers, having crossed the river early in the battle are then curiously absent from subsequent events.
L’Héritier
Despite the deeply unfavourable tactical situation, the charge of l’Héritier’s 10e Cuirassiers was simply devastating. Given the confusion at the north end of the bridge, the Austrian grenadiers were completely surprised and were utterly smashed by the sudden mounted onslaught. The leading Austrian grenadier battalion (Leiningen’s) was completely broken, with many being killed or taken prisoner.
The cuirassiers rode on into the mass of Austrians beyond who, only moments earlier had been enthusiastically exploiting the grenadiers’ success. Accompanying the cuirassiers were GB Guiton, the young Markgraf Wilhelm and GB Fririon who, soaked from his swim, had borrowed a horse and now joined the charge. Many of the scattered French and Baden infantry on the north bank now reformed and rejoined the attack as the rest of Saint-Sulpice’s division (presumably the 11e Cuirassiers and GB Fiteau’s brigade) also joined the charge.
Walther
As Reuss’ V Corps collapsed, the cuirassiers rode on toward Znaïm! As they approached the city’s Vienna Gate, the only formed Austrian units standing in their way were the 5th Battalion of the Vienna Volunteers and a company of grenadiers. However, the cuirassiers were blown by their epic ride through Reuss’ corps and now were delayed by a by a barrier in the form of a spiral-striped customs-pole barring the way to the gate.
Unable to fire due to wet powder, the 5th Vienna Volunteers advanced on the cuirassiers straight down the road in battalion-masse formation and with fixed bayonets. The exhausted and disordered cuirassiers were able to make little impact on this fresh enemy and so were forced to fall back the way they had come. Encouraged by this gallant battalion, broken elements of Reuss’ V Corps began to rally and fall in on either side.
Molitor
While the astonishing French counter-attack had stalled, it had now won time for Legrand’s 1st Division and Carra Saint-Cyr’s 2nd Division to rally, redress their ranks and prepare for the next assault. Only the two Hessian brigades (GM Nagel’s and GM Schinner’s) remained in tactical reserve on the south bank of the Thaya, though Molitor’s 3rd Division was marching hard through Holabrunn and Schöngrabern to reach the battle before nightfall.
After a brief pause, the battle on Masséna’s front soon intensified once again as units received supplies of dry ammunition. The French and Baden infantry pushed forward once again, advancing right up to the Vienna Gate. Sensing that Reuss was almost broken, at around 1700hrs Masséna ordered the reserve Hessian brigades to cross the river and deliver the killing-blow.
Liechtenstein
Led by the Leibgarde Regiment of Nagel’s brigade, the Hessians crossed the Thaya at Pumlitz and rapidly advanced on the vineyard-covered hills beyond. The rifle-armed Hessian schützen companies fanned out in front and quickly pushed back the Austrian skirmishers. However, before the attack could go in, the shout went up to cease fire! It was now sometime around 1900-1930hrs.
The announcement of a ceasefire in the middle of a battle is possibly a unique event from this era (I certainly can’t think of another one). Consequently, a degree of disbelief from both sides meant that the fighting continued for some time and several ADCs were wounded by fire while standing out in the open, trying to stop the fighting. The firing didn’t completely stop until Napoleon himself rode out between the lines.
Wimpffen
As mentioned earlier, Prince Liechtenstein had ridden out on 10th July to find Napoleon in order to negotiate an end to the war. However, having ridden out through Masséna’s lines, he then had to make a very long ride to find the Emperor, who by then was on his way to Laa. In the event it wasn’t actually Liechtenstein who conducted the negotiations.
During the cavalry stand-off on the northern flank of the battle during 11th July, GD Montbrun had been able to make contact with the Austrians and had successfully passed on Napoleon’s invitation for an emissary to pass through the lines to conduct negotiations for a ceasefire. Archduke Charles agreed and sent his chief-of-staff, GM Wimpffen. Liechtenstein didn’t actually reach Napoleon’s headquarters until sometime around midnight on 11th/12th July, by which time the ceasefire was already several hours old.
Berthier
As mentioned above, Archduke Charles desperately wanted an end to this war and could see little chance of a victory. However, he remained convinced that Napoleon had brought his full army to bear against him, which was far from the truth. In fact, Charles’ army at Znaïm actually outnumbered Napoleon’s available forces by a ratio of around 2:1. Napoleon’s chief-of-staff, Marshal Berthier certainly helped to maintain that illusion when he met Wimpffen, successfully bluffing that Marshal Davout’s III Corps was waiting to launch an attack. The deployment of mounted camp servants, cantinières and grooms as a reserve line behind Walther’s Guard Cavalry Division also gave a rather false impression of numbers!
For his part, Napoleon hoped for a favourable negotiated peace, but at the very least, negotiations might help in pinning Archduke Charles in place while his infantry reserves closed in to deliver the coup de grace on the 12th! In the event, the killer-blow was not necessary and the initial ceasefire was soon transformed into a formal armistice and then peace.
Although angry at Marmont for leaving his line of communication at Laa completely undefended (a fact that might have spelled disaster, had Hohenzollern complied with his orders to capture Laa on the 10th), Napoleon recognised that Marmont’s actions had led directly to this victory and to an acceptable end to the war. In a moment of generosity, Napoleon raised Marmont to the Marshalate, becoming the third new Marshal (after MacDonald and Oudinot) to be created in the wake of Wagram.
Scenario Outline
This scenario may be played as a stand-alone game, or as a continuation of the first day’s fighting. If playing as a stand-alone scenario, use the supplied labels (below), which incorporate the historical losses suffered during the first day’s fighting. If playing as a multi-day battle, follow the Multi-Day Battle procedure (below). However, you’ll then have to make your own labels to conform to the new unit-strengths, etc.
The scenario will last for 20 turns, starting with the French 1000hrs turn and ending with the historical armistice at the end of the Austrian 1930hrs turn. See below for the detailed schedule of reinforcements.
As usual, either side can win an outright victory by pushing the enemy army permanently beyond their morale limit. Note however, that the French morale limit will increase as reinforcements arrive (see the scenario schedule below), so they must be pushed beyond their maximum limit of 20M.
If desired, the exact timing of the armistice may be varied in much the same manner as the Napoleon’s Battles Variable Arrival Time rule for reinforcements and is diced for as a ‘sudden end’ at the end of the Austrian turn. This means that the armistice might be declared early, or it might not be declared until after night halts combat. Either player may use Re-Roll Markers in the usual manner, in an attempt to either delay or impose the armistice.
If outright victory or an armistice is not reached, the battle will end with nightfall, at the end of the Austrian 2100hrs turn (Turn 23). At this point it can be assumed that an agreement could not be reached. However, if they have survived this far, the Austrians will have gained time for their huge baggage and artillery train to reach safety and for the VI Corps to have established another rearguard position on the road to Iglau. Alternatively, the Austrians may decide to make a last stand and battle may therefore be continued for a hypothetical third day, in an attempt to finally defeat Napoleon’s pursuit. This will be covered in the next article.
As before, the scenario uses a 10′ x 6′ table, though if true to scale, it should be approximately 15% larger, as the battle was fought over a VERY wide area. However, I don’t know many wargamers with arms like Twizzle, who can reach the middle of an 7-foot table! However, despite compressing the map-scale, there is still plenty of space in which to deploy the number of troops in the order of battle.
Orders of Battle
If you’re not familiar with Napoleon’s Battles rules, have a look at Part 1, where I explain the figure-ratios and ‘hieroglyphics’ used in the orders of battle.
The French Army of Germany
The Emperor Napoleon
28”E(10)+3D
[13M at start of Day 2, increasing as reinforcements arrive to 20M]
[9 Free Rolls]
Imperial Headquarters Escort
10e, 22e & 26e Chasseurs à Cheval 12 FrLC [5D]
Elements, Imperial Guard (Commanded personally by The Emperor)
3rd (Guard Cavalry) Division – Général de Division Walther 4”G(7)+1 [3F]
Guyot’s Brigade (Grenadiers à Cheval de la Garde) 12 FrGHC [4D]
Thiry’s Brigade (Chasseurs à Cheval & Mamelouks de la Garde) 12 FrGLC [4D]
Krasinski’s Brigade (Chevaulégers-Polonais de la Garde) 12 FrGLC [4D]
Letort’s Brigade (Dragons de l’Impératrice) 12 FrGHC [4D]
Savary’s Brigade (Gendarmes d’Élite) – strength incorporated into other Guard units.
XI Corps (Army of Dalmatia) – Général de Division Marmont 10”G(7)+1 [5F]
1st Division – Général de Division Claparède 3”G(7)+1
Plauzonne’s Brigade (5e de Ligne) 12 FrLN [5D]
Bertrand’s Brigade (79e & 81e de Ligne) 16 FrLN [6D]
2nd Division – Général de Division Clauzel 4”G(7)+1
Delzon’s Brigade (8e Légère & 23e de Ligne) 24 FrLT [7D]
Bachelu’s Brigade (11e de Ligne) 16 FrLN [6D]
XI Corps Artillery Reserve
Artillerie à Pied (12pdr) Fr12#
Artillerie à Pied (12pdr) Fr12#
Artillerie à Cheval (6pdr) Fr6#
2nd Bavarian Division – Generalmajor Minucci 3”G(7)+1
Minucci’s Brigade (3rd & 13th Infantry Regts & 6th Light Infantry Bn) 24 BvLN [12D]
Becker’s Brigade (6th & 7th Infantry Regiments) 16 BvLN [8D]
Preysing’s Brigade (2nd & 3rd Chevauléger Regiments) 8 BvLC [3D]
Light (Mounted) Battery ‘Caspers’ (6pdr) Bv6#
Heavy Foot Battery ‘Dobl’ (12pdr) Bv12#
Light Cavalry Division Montbrun – Général de Division Montbrun 4”E(8)+2
Jacquinot’s Brigade (1er & 2e Chasseurs and 7e Hussars) 16 FrLC [6D]
Pajol’s Brigade (11e & 12e Chasseurs à Cheval and 5e Hussards) 16 FrLC [6D]
Gauthrin’s Brigade (7e & 20e Chasseurs à Cheval and 9e Hussards) 16 FrLC [6D]
6/2e Artillerie à Cheval (4pdr) Fr4#
IV Corps – Maréchal Masséna (confined to carriage) 12”E(8)+2D [6F]
1st Division – Général de Division Legrand 4”E(7)+1
Friedrichs’ Brigade (26e Légère & 18e de Ligne) 24 FrLT [10D]
Neuenstein’s Baden Brigade (1st & 2nd Infantry Regts & Jäger Bn ‘Lingg’) 24 BdLN [10D]
Baden Horse Battery (6pdr) Bd6#
4/2e Artillerie à Cheval (6pdr) Fr6#
Light Cavalry Division Piré – Général de Brigade Piré 3”A(5)+0
Piré’s Brigade (16e ChR & 8e HR) & remnants Bruyère’s Bde (13e ChR) 12 FrLC [5D]
Formerly Marulaz’s Brigade (3e, 13e, 19e & 23e Chasseurs) 12 FrLC [5D]
French Reinforcements:
Guard Artillery Reserve – Général de Division Lauriston 4”G(7)+1
1er Volante-Artillerie de la Garde (6pdr) FrG6#
2e Volante-Artillerie de la Garde (6pdr) FrG6#
3e Volante-Artillerie de la Garde (6pdr) FrG6#
4e Volante-Artillerie de la Garde (6pdr) FrG6#
IV Corps (Masséna)
2nd Division – Général de Division Carra St Cyr 3”G(6)+1D
Destabenrath’s Brigade (24e Légère, 4e de Ligne & 46e de Ligne) 24 FrLN [10D]
Schinner’s Hesse-Darmstädt Brigade (Leib-Garde Regiment) 12 HsGD [4D]
Nagel’s Hesse-Darmstädt Brigade (Leib Regiment) 12 HsLN [5D]
2/2e Artillerie à Cheval (6pdr) Fr6#
3rd Division – Général de Division Molitor 5”E(7)+1
Leguay’s Brigade (2e & 16e de Ligne) 16 FrLN [6D]
Viviès’ Brigade (37e & 67e de Ligne) 16 FrLN [6D]
IV Corps Artillery Reserve
Artillerie à Pied (12pdr) Fr12#
Artillerie à Pied (12pdr) Fr12#
2nd Heavy Cavalry Division – Général de Division St Sulpice 3”A(6)+1
Fiteau’s Brigade (1er & 5e Cuirassiers) 12 FrHC [4D]
Guiton’s Brigade (10e & 11e Cuirassiers) 12 FrHC [4D]
3/5e Artillerie à Cheval (8pdr) Fr8#
Reserve Cavalry Corps – Maréchal Bessières (wounded and absent) [4F]
1st Heavy Cavalry Division – Général de Division Nansouty 3”G(7)+1
Defrance’s Brigade (1er & 2e Carabiniers) 12 FrHC [4D]
Doumerc’s Brigade (2e & 9e Cuirassiers) 12 FrHC [4D]
St Germain’s Brigade (3e & 12e Cuirassiers) 8 FrHC [2D]
4/6e Artillerie à Cheval (8pdr) Fr8#
3rd Heavy Cavalry Division – Général de Division Arrighi de Casanova 3”G(7)+1
Reynaud’s Brigade (4e & 6e Cuirassiers) 12 FrHC [4D]
Bordessoulle’s Brigade (7e & 8e Cuirassiers) 12 FrHC [4D]
3/6e Artillerie à Cheval (4pdr) Fr4#
French Order of Battle Notes
1. Casualties for the historical first day of the battle have been removed from Bertrand’s French brigade and Minucci’s and Becker’s Bavarian brigades and this is reflected in the Day 2 unit labels. If you’re playing this as part of the full multi-day scenario, you will have to apply the first day’s casualties (see procedure below) and create your own labels.
2. Lauriston may command any artillery units in the army in addition to those under his direct command. General Walther, commanding the Guard Cavalry Division, may also command any Guard Horse Artillery batteries within his command-span.
3. Masséna was still suffering from the effects of wounds suffered at Aspern-Essling and was unable to mount or ride a horse. He therefore went to war at Wagram and Znaïm mounted in a very distinctive white phaeton (a light, open carriage), pulled by white horses. Masséna’s phaeton moves as a wagon unit with an 18” movement range. He runs the risk of being killed, wounded or captured on a roll of 1-4 instead of the usual 1-3.
4. Napoleon’s effects on the army are that he increases the Dispersal rating of all units by one grade and increases the Fatigue rating of all formations by one. However, losing Napoleon is an automatic defeat for the French. The Army Morale Rating starts at 13M and rises as reinforcements arrive to 20M by the end of the day.
5. I’m not sure if the Headquarters Escort Cavalry Brigade was still assigned to Napoleon at this stage of the campaign, but it was certainly present at Wagram. It may therefore be left out of the scenario if desired. If you do decide to include it, the brigade is always activated, but must always manoeuvre with the intent of directly attaching itself to Napoleon’s Headquarters, thereby acting as a close escort. Napoleon will retain his command radius even when the escort brigade is directly attached. If Napoleon wants to remain attached to his escort, he must allow them to manoeuvre as a normal cavalry brigade. If the escort brigade becomes unattached (e.g. due to Napoleon moving too fast or due to an uncontrolled pursuit), the brigade must at all times attempt to re-attach to Napoleon at the best possible speed. The escort brigade may not voluntarily make charge or pursuit moves.
6. Generalleutnant von Wrede, commander of the 2nd Bavarian Division, was recovering from wounds suffered at Wagram and was temporarily replaced by Generalmajor Minucci.
7. Marshal Bessières was still recovering from wounds suffered at Wagram and was not therefore present at Znaïm. There does not seem to have been an overall cavalry commander appointed to replace him at Znaïm, so the 1st & 3rd Heavy Cavalry Divisions are commanded directly by the Emperor (though there is a joint Fatigue Rating for these divisions). Saint-Sulpice’s 2nd Heavy Cavalry Division however, had been directly attached to Masséna’s IV Corps since Wagram and any casualties from this division count against the IV Corps Fatigue Rating.
8. Following the death of GD Lasalle at Wagram on 6th July, GB Marulaz had taken command of his independent light cavalry division, only to be seriously wounded later that same day (this was his 19th wound and it ended his military career). Command then passed to GB Bruyère. However, on 10th July Bruyère was severely wounded while fighting against the Austrian V Corps rearguard at Schöngrabern, so command of the division passed to GB Piré before they arrived at Znaïm on 11th July. Some sources show the division as commanded by Bruyère (or even Lasalle!) at Znaïm, but this was most definitely not the case.
9. Minucci’s Bavarian Brigade (XI Corps), Neuenstein’s Baden Brigade (IV Corps), Destabenrath’s Brigade (IV Corps) and both Hesse-Darmstädt Brigades (IV Corps) will each gain an additional +1 Fire Modifier thanks to their organic light infantry units. These unit labels are marked with a [+1]. I’ve classed Delzon’s Brigade (XI Corps) and Friedrichs’ Brigade (IV Corps) as wholly light infantry, as the Légère units present represented the majority of those brigades.
10. Molitor’s 3rd Division of IV Corps arrived very late in the day, did not participate in the battle and may therefore be left out of the scenario. However, this formation might become engaged if the game is extended beyond the historical armistice time. In either case, the presence of this division increases the Army Morale Rating.
The Imperial & Royal Austrian Main Army
Feldmarschall Erzherzog Karl
20”E(10)+2 [20M]
[9 Free Rolls]
Reserve Corps – Feldmarschalleutnant Schwarzenberg 6”A(6)+0 [7F]
Grenadier Division of Feldmarschalleutnant Prochaszka 3”A(6)+1
Scovaud’s Grenadier Brigade 12 AsGN [5D]
Hammer’s Grenadier Brigade 16 AsGN [6D]
Melgum’s Grenadier Brigade 20 AsGN [8D]
Steyrer’s Grenadier Brigade 20 AsGN [8D]
Cavalry Division of Feldmarschalleutnant Hessen-Homburg 3”A(5)+0
Roussel d’Hurbal’s Brigade (KRs 2 ‘EH Franz’ & 3 ‘EH Albert’) 8 AsHC [3D]
Lederer’s Brigade (KRs 4 ‘EH Ferdinand’ & 8 ‘Hohenzollern’) 8 AsHC [3D]
6pdr Cavalry Battery As6#
6pdr Cavalry Battery As6#
Cavalry Division of Feldmarschalleutnant Schwarzenberg 4”A(8)+0
Kroyher’s Brigade (KRs 1 ‘Kaiser’ & 6 ‘Liechtenstein’) 12 AsHC [4D]
Theimern’s Brigade (CR 6 ‘Rosenberg’ & DR 3 ‘Knesevich’) 20 AsLC [8D]
6pdr Cavalry Battery As6#
6pdr Cavalry Battery As6#
Cavalry Division of Feldmarschalleutnant Nostitz 4”E(7)+2
Rothkirch’s Brigade (DRs 1 ‘Erzherzog Johann’ & 6 ‘Riesch’) 12 AsHC [5D]
Kerekes’ Brigade (Neutra & Primatial Insurrection HRs) 16 AsILC [10D]
6pdr Cavalry Battery As6#
I Corps – General der Kavallerie Bellegarde 7”A(6)+0 [3F]
Division of Generalmajor Henneberg 4”G(6)+1
Henneberg’s Brigade #1 (IR 17 ‘Reuss-Plauen’ & 2nd Jäger Bn) 20 AsLN [10D]
Henneberg’s Brigade #2 (IR 36 ‘Kolowrat’) 16 AsLN [8D]
Fabré’s Brigade (IRs 11 ‘Erzherzog Rainer’ & 47 ‘Vogelsang’) 28 AsLN [14D]
Division of Generalmajor Clary 3”A(5)+0
Clary’s Brigade (IRs 10 ‘Anton Mittrowsky’ & 42 ‘Erbach’) 24 AsLN [12D]
Schäffer’s Brigade (IR 35 ‘Argentau’) 12 AsLN [6D]
Stutterheim’s Brigade (CR 5 ‘Klenau’) 12 AsLC [6D]
6pdr Cavalry Battery As6#
I Corps Artillery
12pdr Position Battery As12#
12pdr Position Battery As12#
II Corps – Feldmarschalleutnant Hohenzollern-Hechingen 7”G(6)+1D [3F]
Division of Generalmajor Buresch 3”A(4)+0
Quallenberg’s Brigade (IRs 25 ‘Zedtwitz’ & 54 ‘Froon’) 28 AsLN [11D]
Buresch’s Brigade (IRs 15 ‘Zach’ & 57 ‘Joseph Colloredo’) 28 AsLN [11D]
Division of Generalmajor Wied-Runkel 4”G(5)+0
Wied-Runkel’s Brigade (IRs 18 ‘d’Aspré’ & 28 ‘Frelich’) 24 AsLN [12D]
Alstern’s Brigade (IR 21 ‘Rohan’) 16 AsLN [8D]
GIR 13 ‘Wallach-Illyrian’ and 2nd & 4th Erzherzog Karl Legion 12 AsGRZ [7D]
CR 4 ‘Vincent’ (too weak to show – incorporated into I Corps strength)
II Corps Artillery
6pdr Cavalry Battery (most of the artillery is with IV Corps and not present) As6#
III Corps – Generalfeldzeugmeister Kolowrat-Krakowsky 8”A(6)+1D [4F]
Division of Generalmajor Schneller 4”A(6)+0
Schuttermeier’s Brigade (UR 2 ‘Schwarzenberg’) 8 AsLC [4D]
Wratislaw’s Brigade (Bohemian Landwehr & Lobkowitz Jäger) 20 AsFKI [12D]
Giffling’s Brigade #1 (IR 7 ‘Karl Schröder’) 20 AsLN [10D]
Giffling’s Brigade #2 (IR 56 ‘Wenzel Colloredo’) 20 AsLN [10D]
6pdr Cavalry Battery As6#
Division of Feldmarschalleutnant St Julien 3”P(4)+0
Chiesa’s Brigade #1 (IRs 1 ‘Kaiser’ & 23 ‘Würzburg’) 24 AsLN [12D]
Lilienberg’s Brigade (IR 12 ‘Manfredini’) 20 AsLN [8D]
Bieber’s Brigade (IRs 20 ‘Kaunitz’ & 38 ‘Württemberg’) 28 AsLN [11D]
III Corps Artillery
12pdr Position Battery As12#
12pdr Position Battery As12#
V Corps – Feldmarschalleutnant Reuss-Plauen 8”A(6)+1 [3F]
Division of Generalmajor Klebelsberg 3”A(5)+0
Klebelsberg’s Brigade (UR 3 ‘Erzherzog Karl’ & HR 6 ‘Blankenstein’) 16 AsLC [8D]
Pflüger’s Brigade #1 (GIR 8 ‘Gradiskaner’, 3rd Jäger & 5th Vienna Vols) 20 AsGRZ [12D]
Pflüger’s Brigade #2 (IR 29 ‘Lindenau’) 20 AsLN [10D]
6pdr Cavalry Battery As6#
Division of Generalmajor Neustädter 3”A(4)+1
Neustädter’s Brigade #1 (IR 9 ‘Czartoryski’) 16 AsLN [8D]
Neustädter’s Brigade #2 (IR 55 ‘Reuss-Greitz’) 24 AsLN [12D]
Austrian Order of Battle Notes
1. Casualties have been removed from Steyrer’s and Hammer’s Grenadier Brigades to reflect their historical losses from the first day of the battle and this is reflected in the Day 2 unit labels. If you’re playing this as part of the full multi-day scenario, you will have to apply the first day’s casualties and create your own labels (see below).
2. The Austrian army starts Day 2 with a morale rating of 20M. Klenau’s VI Corps had been sent away during the night, to cover the withdrawal of the colossal wagon train and to establish a new defensive fall-back position on the Iglau highway. However, by way of compensation, Archduke Charles had been reinforced by Reuss-Plauen’s V Corps, which had spent the previous day fighting a rearguard action against Masséna, so the army’s strength and Morale Rating remains unchanged from the end of Day 1.
3. An array of Austrian FMLs had been felled during the Battle of Wagram, so a lot of divisions are here temporarily commanded by GMs.
4. Due to the somewhat confused nature of the retreat, many Austrian units had spent Day 1 detached from their parent formations, often being attached to other formations. A small ad hoc flank-guard command had also been created under Schneller. However, with the concentration of the army at Znaïm, these organisational anomalies were largely resolved during the night and Schneller returned to command his own division.
5. At around 1400hrs on Day 1, Prince Liechtenstein departed on a mission to seek out Napoleon and seek terms for peace. Liechtenstein therefore placed Schwarzenberg in command of the ‘Cavalry Reserve Corps’ during his absence. In game terms, Schwarzenberg is therefore classed as a Temporary Corps Commander, with generalship ratings of 6”A(6)+0. I don’t know who commanded Schwarzenberg’s division during this period, so just continue to use Schwarzenberg’s own divisional generalship ratings, representing his 2ic. It’s not clear if Prochaszka’s Grenadier Division (often referred to as the ‘Reserve Grenadier Corps’, distinct from the ‘Cavalry Reserve Corps’) also came under Schwarzenberg’s command, but I have assumed so.
6. I’ve incorporated the strength of Chevauléger Regiment 4 ‘Vincent’ from II Corps into Stutterheim’s Brigade of I Corps, as the Vincent Chevaulégers are too weak to represent as a unit in their own right.
7. Most of II Corps’ artillery had retreated from Wagram with Rosenberg’s IV Corps, leaving II Corps with only three unspecified batteries. In game terms I’ve therefore only included a single 6pdr cavalry battery.
8. I’ve no idea if the Austrian divisions were numbered at this time. They had been numbered 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc within each corps at the start of the campaign, but there had been many reorganisations and commander-reshuffles since then and every source I’ve read just identifies them by name. In order to simplify unit labelling, I’ve arbitrarily numbered each division within each corps on the game labels below.
9. Henneberg’s #1 Brigade (I Corps) and Pflüger’s #1 Brigade (V Corps) each include a regular Jäger Battalion and will therefore gain an additional +1 Fire Modifier. Their labels are marked with (+1).
10. I’ve classed Wratislaw’s Brigade of Schneller’s Division (III Corps) as Freikorps infantry rather than Landwehr, due to the large contingent of volunteers present.
11. I often use my own unofficial ‘Archduke Charles Rule’ (very similar to the official Napoleon’s Battles ‘Blücher Rule’) whenever Archduke Charles is present during 1809 battles. I haven’t actually posted it here in any scenarios yet, but it will appear when I get around to posting my Aspern-Essling scenario. However, the ‘Archduke Charles Rule’ may not be used in this scenario.
Initial Deployment
Napoleon starts the game within Marmont‘s deployment area, along with his Headquarters Escort, the entire XI Corps, Montbrun’s Light Cavalry Division, Minucci’s 2nd Bavarian Division and Walther’s Guard Cavalry Division. Reinforcements for Napoleon’s wing will arrive at Point C.
Masséna starts the game deployed south of the River Thaya within the marked IV Corps deployment area, along with Legrand’s 1st Division and Piré’s Light Cavalry Division. Reinforcements for Masséna’s wing will arrive at Point A or Point B.
Archduke Charles starts the game at his headquarters in Brenditz.
Schwarzenberg’s Reserve Corps, Bellegarde’s I Corps, Hohenzollern-Hechingen’s II Corps, Kolowrat-Krakowsy’s III Corps and Reuss-Plauen’s V Corps are all deployed on-table, within their own designated deployment areas.
Lilienberg’s Brigade from St Julien’s Division of Hohenzollern’s II Corps must start the game stationed in Pöltenberg, to the west of Znaïm, due to Archduke Charles’ fear of the French attempting to cross the river there, despite there being no obvious fords. This brigade may be moved elsewhere once the game has begun.
Klenau‘s VI Corps has been withdrawn during the night, in order to establish a fall-back defensive position on the Iglau/Prague Road. There will be no Austrian reinforcements during Day 2.
All units may begin the game deployed in any formation.
Reinforcement & Event Schedule Day 2 (11th July)
Turn 1 – 1000: Lauriston’s Guard Horse Artillery arrives at Point C.
Saint-Sulpice’s 2nd Heavy Cavalry Division arrives at Point A.
[French Army Morale increases to 15M]
Turn 2 – 1030: Nansouty’s 1st Heavy Cavalry Division arrives at Point C.
[French Army Morale increases to 16M]
Turn 3 – 1100: Arrighi’s 3rd Heavy Cavalry Division arrives at Point C.
IV Corps Artillery Reserve arrives at Point A.
[French Army Morale increases to 17M]
Turn 7 – 1300: Carra St-Cyr’s Division arrives at Point A.
[French Army Morale increases to 19M]
Turn 9 – 1400: “Is it me, or does it look a bit black over Wilhelm’s mutti’s?” [Roll in the Weather Step of each turn, starting with the French turn. On a roll of 1, a colossal thunder-storm breaks over the battlefield (the effects of which are detailed below).]
Turn 10 – 1430: “It’s raining, men! Hide your powder!” [Roll in the Weather Step of each turn. If it hasn’t done so already, on a roll of 1-3, a colossal thunder-storm breaks over the battlefield (the effects of which are detailed below).]
Turn 10 – 1500: “Donner und Blitzen!” [Roll in the Weather Step of each turn. If it hasn’t done so already, on a roll of 1-6, a colossal thunder-storm breaks over the battlefield (the effects of which are detailed below).]
Turn 11 – 1530: “Thunderbolt & Lighting, Very Very Frightening!” [Roll in the Weather Step of each turn. If it hasn’t done so already, on a roll of 1-8, a colossal thunder-storm breaks over the battlefield (the effects of which are detailed below).]
Turn 12 – 1600: “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!” [If it hasn’t done so already, a colossal thunder-storm now breaks over the battlefield during the French turn (the effects of which are detailed below).]
Turn 17 – 1800: Molitor’s Division arrives at Point A (optional).
[French Army Morale increases to 20M]
Turn 18 – 1830: [Peace breaks out on a roll of 1 at the end of the Austrian turn if using Variable Peace option]
Turn 19 – 1900: [Peace breaks out on a roll of 1-3 at the end of the Austrian turn if using Variable Peace option]
Turn 20 – 1930: Scenario historically ends at the end of this turn, with an agreed armistice [Or on a roll of 1-6 at the end of the Austrian turn if using Variable Peace option].
Turn 21 – 2000: [Peace breaks out on a roll of 1-8 at the end of the Austrian turn if using Variable Peace option]
Turn 22 – 2030: [Peace breaks out on a roll of 1-8 at the end of the Austrian turn if using Variable Peace option]
Turn 23 – 2100: Scenario definitely ends at the end of the Austrian turn (nightfall).
All units arrive in March Column formation.
Miscellaneous Rules and Terrain Effects
1. The Thaya River is unfordable, except via the bridge at Oblass and the fords at Pumlitz and Mühlfraun. All bridges and fords may be crossed by all troop-types at the normal Column or March Column rate. Note that Masséna’s scouts very quickly discovered an additional fording-point ‘suitable for infantry and cavalry’ at Oblass on the 10th, so this may also be used by French and allied forces only on the second day of the battle (shown as the brown crossing-point on the Day 2 map). This ford may not be used by artillery.
2. The Leska Stream between Points Y & Z sits within a deep, steep-sided ravine. Between these points it is only fordable to infantry and cavalry (not artillery) as 2 inches of Rough Terrain and additionally, all units will immediately become Disordered. A unit defending the bank will gain a +1 defensive modifier (in addition to the attacker getting the -3 penalty for being Disordered). All bridges and fords may be crossed by all troop-types at the normal Column or March Column rate.
3. All Other Streams (including the Leska below Point Z) are passable to all troop types as 1 inch of Rough Terrain and are not disordering. A unit defending the bank will gain a +1 defensive modifier. All bridges and fords may be crossed by all troop-types at the normal Column or March Column rate.
4. The Pond at Kukrowitz is impassable to all troop-types.
5. All Villages have a cover modifier of -2 and a defensive modifier of +2. Some villages have more than one Built-Up Sector (defined by the brown rectangles) and each Sector my accommodate an infantry brigade. Villages with roads running through them may potentially accommodate more than one unit, but only if the additional units are passing through in Column or March Column formation.
6. The City of Znaïm is mostly surrounded by high Mediaeval walls (defined by the thick black line) which may only be accessed through one of the four gates marked in red and only by troops in Column or March Column formation. Attacking units may only assault a gate in Column formation. Units defending a gate gain a +4 defensive modifier against units attempting to attack into the city from outside the gate. The city is divided up into six adjacent Built-Up Sectors, each with a cover modifier of -2 and a defensive modifier of +3 (if attacked from an adjacent sector and not through a gate). The three adjacent Built-Up Sectors along the river bank are outside the city walls and are classed as a village. Note that attacking the River Gate of Znaïm is virtual suicide, being up a steep, narrow and enfiladed approach. The defender will gain +1 for the slope, plus the +4 for defending the gate!
Znaïm pictured a few years later. as seen from the river. Note that the bridge didn’t exist in 1809.
7. Hill Slopes provide a +1 defensive modifier to the defender. I appreciate that this map has very complicated topography and will undoubtedly need some simplifying for game purposes (unless you have a sand-table, Geo-Hex or some other flashy terrain system). I’ll have a stab at a simplified map and will include it in a future update, but for now we’ll have to make do with the ‘proper’ map.
8. Woods provide a -1 cover modifier, but no positive combat modifier, just the usual negative combat modifiers, depending on troop type (suffered by both combatants, provided the defender is within the wood). Cavalry do not use the ‘Versus Other’ combat modifier usually used against infantry and artillery not protected by squares. Woods are classed as Rough Terrain for movement for all troop types, though are not particularly dense and do not therefore disorder troops passing through them. Firing through woods is limited to 2 inches range.
9. Vineyards are defined by the brown areas shown on the map. These provide no cover modifier and no positive combat modifier. Both sides suffer the negative combat modifiers normally used for woods. Cavalry do not use the ‘Versus Other’ combat modifier usually used against infantry and artillery not protected by squares. Vineyards are classed as Rough Terrain for all troop types, but do not block line of sight. I should say that the position of vineyards is not exact and their layout is based on a couple of pretty vague maps, so feel free to vary them. Essentially the lower half of the map (along the Thaya valley) was very thickly covered in vineyards, while the upper half was considered better ‘cavalry country’.
10. Earthworks had been dug by the Austrians (probably in 1805) to cover the southern approaches to Znaïm from the Vienna highway. These were three small positions for ‘a few guns’ and for game purposes I have reduced this to two positions, one on the low ground and one on the high ground, each big enough to hold a full battery. The earthworks provide the battery with a -2 cover modifier and a +2 combat modifier. Each emplaced battery may pivot by up to 45 degrees and remain in cover. The earthworks are not sufficient to accommodate an infantry brigade.
11. Roads are coloured either grey for the main paved highways or brown for the local roads and tracks. There is no real difference in game terms, though if your terrain collection only includes a limited number of road-pieces, do the grey highways as a matter of priority, along with any roads passing through woods or vineyards, as well as river-crossings.
12. The Great Storm! The sudden, colossal storm had a huge impact on the battle, immediately dampening powder. Infantry fire stopped completely, while artillery fired at a much-reduced rate. In game terms, the storm will affect each side for three turns, starting with the side that rolled for it. As with all die-rolls in Napoleon’s Battles, Free Roll Markers may be deployed by either player in an attempt to increase or decrease the chances of the storm happening. When the storm breaks, the following effects will be applied during the affected turns:
12.1. Infantry fire will stop completely.
12.2. Artillery will suffer an additional -1 firing penalty.
12.3. Infantry will suffer an additional -1 combat modifier when fighting in Line, Square, Divisional Square or Brigade Skirmish formation, or when defending buildings or fortifications.
12.4. All fires will be extinguished once both players have played their first turn under storm conditions.
Playing as Part of a Multi-Day Battle
As mentioned above, you can either fight each day of the battle as a stand-alone scenario or you can play it as a multi-day ‘mini-campaign’. If you plan to do the latter, make sure that you make a careful note of which units Surrendered, which units were Dispersed, which units ran off table (and a note of their strength when they did so), units’ final strengths, which generals were killed, wounded or captured and which batteries were eliminated, damaged or abandoned their guns (and mark where the guns were abandoned). This of course, does require a fair bit of admin, but it does produce a rather more satisfying game.
At the start of the second day of battle, follow this slightly modified version of the procedure for multi-day battles as per Chapter 14.4 (p. 100) of Napoleon’s Battles 4th Edition:
Breaking Contact
The Austrian VI Corps will conduct a night-march and establish a new defensive position further north, to cover the line of retreat.
The Austrian V Corps, having conducted a rearguard action against Masséna during the 10th, will join the main army at Znaïm during the night. Note that V Corps and VI Corps each have five formed units, so the loss of VI Corps and the addition of V Corps makes no difference to the Army Morale rating.
All Austrian units remaining south of the River Thaya will withdraw to the north bank during the night. All Austrian units will then pull back at least 9 inches from the nearest French unit and at least 9 inches from the River Thaya downstream of Klosterbruck. Villages and fortifications may remain occupied if they were occupied at the end of Day 1 and if they are no closer than 6 inches from the nearest French unit. This should determine a new front-line for the Austrian Army – either agree the new front line like gentlemen, get an umpire or independent third party to adjudicate, or dice for it (the French will win a draw).
Once the Austrian Army has established its new front line, the French player establishes a new front line for Marmont’s wing; draw a line connecting the forward French units, though that line may not be drawn within 6 inches of the new Austrian front line.
Any guns abandoned behind the new enemy front-line are permanently removed from play, having been captured and hauled away. Any guns abandoned behind the new friendly front line are automatically recovered to re-equip batteries of the appropriate type and nationality that had lost their guns. Any guns abandoned in ‘no-man’s land’ are left in situ and may be recovered during the following day’s battle.
All markers except casualty markers (e.g. Free Roll, Disorder, Rout, React) are now removed and all units are automatically rallied.
All fires are automatically extinguished.
Replacing Losses
Any units that Surrendered during Day 1 due to Isolation (see Napoleon’s Battles 4th Edition Chapter 7.5 (p. 66)) are permanently removed from the order of battle. Formation Fatigue ratings and Army Morale ratings must be adjusted accordingly.
Any units that ran off table (either through rout, uncontrolled pursuit or to avoid being isolated) are now returned to play at the strength they were when they exited the table.
Any dispersed units are returned to play at their original dispersal level (e.g. a unit that started at 16 figures and dispersed when it reached its dispersal level of 8 will now be returned to the table as an 8-figure unit).
For a bit of extra fun, surrendered units and captured generals may be exchanged overnight. There are no hard rules for this; I leave it up to the players to make their own negotiations.
Generals are automatically replaced with the worst possible generalship ratings in their class (i.e. 3″P(4)-1 for divisional commanders and 5″P(4)-1 for Corps Commanders). I toyed with allowing the promotion of brigadiers and using their ‘book’ stats, but I think that using the standard Replacement ratings reflects the short-term loss of morale and leadership that might be experienced with the loss of a senior leader. Feel free to stick a load of generalship ratings on chits and pull them randomly out of a hat if you prefer.
Once the above steps have been followed, roll 1D10 for every casualty figure suffered in a unit during the previous day’s fighting (e.g. if a 16 figure unit lost 8 figures, roll 8x D10 for that unit). A casualty will return to the unit if the number rolled is LESS THAN the unit’s Response number. The Response number is modified by the divisional commander’s Generalship rating (P-1, A=0, G+1, E+2). Any unit that Dispersed during Day 1 suffers a -2 Response modifier and the Austrians suffer a further -1 modifier due to their general state of exhaustion and demoralisation.
Weak units of the same type and nationality may be combined, provided that units do not exceed a strength of 28 figures for infantry or 20 figures for cavalry. Only whole units may be combined; they may not be split up, with the parts being allocated to different units. Any ‘excess strength’ left over when combining units will be removed from play and may not be allocated to other units.
When combining units, this must first be done within the same brigade where a particularly large brigade had been divided into two units (e.g. Henneberg’s #1 & Henneberg’s #2). If this is not possible, work your way up the chain of command (i.e. in the same division and then in the same corps) to find a unit of the same type with which to combine. A unit may not therefore be arbitrarily combined with a unit in a different corps if there are suitable candidates within the parent brigade, division or corps.
Once this is done, you’ll need to re-calculate each unit’s Dispersal level for Day 2 based on their new strength and Dispersal number and make up new unit-labels or mark the orders of battle accordingly.
If the number of formed units within a formation has changed due to surrender or amalgamation, you’ll also need to re-calculate the formation Fatigue rating and Army Morale rating.
Artillery are handled in a slightly different manner: Each Damaged battery will automatically be recovered to full strength and each Eliminated battery will be returned to play, having recovered one hit (i.e. becoming Damaged). Surrendered batteries are permanently lost. Two Damaged batteries of the same type, shot-weight and nationality may then be combined to form one full strength battery (as with formed units, they must first be combined with batteries from the same organisation before working up the chain of command to find a suitable candidate).
Batteries without guns may then be re-equipped from battlefield recoveries of the appropriate shot-weight and nationality, as mentioned above. Batteries without guns may remain in play, provided that guns might feasibly become available for recovery as the game progresses.
The Austrians may automatically re-equip the guns of up to one 12pdr Position Battery and two 6pdr Cavalry Batteries from their massive army artillery park.
Note that ‘nationality’ means exactly that and applies to allies as well as enemies; e.g. a Bavarian brigade may not be combined with a French brigade and a Baden battery may not equip itself with recovered French guns.
Reorganisation and Redeployment
Once the new front-lines have been established and reorganisation completed, the Austrian Army now has the freedom to completely re-deploy anywhere behind their new front line (or they can simply use the historical corps deployment areas). However, note that Archduke Charles’ headquarters will remain at Brenditz and he must start Day 2 within that village.
Once the Austrian army is deployed, the French player deploys Marmont’s wing within its new front line. Napoleon is also placed within this area. Walther’s Guard Cavalry Division has only just arrived at the start of the second day’s fighting, so is placed within its marked historical deployment zone on the road from Laa.
Masséna and his two leading divisions (Legrand and Piré) are deployed anywhere within their marked deployment zone.
Both sides are exhausted, so no digging in is permitted. However, the pre-existing fortifications on the southern approaches to Znaïm may be occupied if they fall within an army’s front-line.
All units may deploy in any formation.
Unit Information Card
French Unit Labels
Austrian Unit Labels
As mentioned, I will return to Znaïm with a third scenario covering Napoleon’s planned attack of 12th July 1809. I’ve also got some more Napoleonic troops to profile (French Guard Éclaireurs, Italian Royal Guard cavalry, various Austrians and more Württembergers) and a game report from my recent refight of Waterloo on Richard Young’s wonderful wargames table (below).
