Jemima Fawr's Miniature Wargames Blog

As promised, here’s the game report from our recent Eggmühl refight.  If you missed it, I posted the scenario last time.

However, I should admit that the orbat for our game was very slightly different to the one posted; firstly, I fielded the Württemberg Light Infantry and Jäger as separate units for no reason other than because I wanted to (they’ve been painted since 1999, but haven’t got onto the table once since then!).  To compensate the defenders, I bumped the 9th Grenzer and Bieber’s Brigade up slightly in strength.  Secondly, I also fielded the Württemberg cavalry as two 12-figure units and compensated the Austrians by adding four figures to the 3rd Hussars.

Thirdly, I allowed the Austrian Reserve-Korps grenadiers and cuirassiers to be deployed from the start.  I soon realised that this would be an over-balancing addition to the orbat, so halted them in a reserve position and didn’t allow them to be used until Turn 10.  I think they could happily be left out of the scenario completely unless the French capture Obersanding and/or completely destroy Dedovich.

Above:  For once, I actually remembered to get an overview shot of the battlefield at the start of the game, orientated the same as the map!  I’m getting good at this…

Above:  The left wing of Rosenberg’s IV. Korps.  On the left of the photo stands GM Stutterheim’s cavalry brigade (the 4th ‘Vincent’ Chevauxlegers and 10th ‘Stipsicz’ Hussars) atop the hill known as the Vorberg, along with the two 12pdr reserve batteries and a 6pdr cavalry battery.  On the right, FML Sommariva (who commands the three infantry regiments of the left wing) has brought the 9th ‘Czartoryski’ Infantry Regiment to occupy the Bettelberg.  To the rear stands FML Vukassovich’s 3rd ‘Erzherzog Ferdinand’ Hussars from III. Korps.  Vukassovich also commands the 9th ‘Peterwardeiner’ Grenze Infantry Regiment, which is deployed forward, defending Eggmühl itself, supported  by another 6pdr cavalry battery.

Above:  On the extreme left flank, atop the steep Einsiedelberg hill, stands GM Bieber’s brigade from III. Korps.  The 38th ‘Württemberg’ Infantry Regiment are deployed as the forward line, along the edge of the escarpment, along with a 6pdr position battery.  To their rear, in reserve along the tree-line, is the 20th ‘Kaunitz’ Infantry Regiment.

Above:  The two villages at the corner of the IV. Korps position (Oberlaiching and Unterlaiching) are occupied by Sommariva’s two remaining infantry regiments; here we see Oberlaiching, defended by the 55th ‘Reuss-Greitz’ Infantry Regiment and an attached corps reserve 6pdr cavalry battery.  Out of shot to the right is Unterlaiching, defended by the 44th ‘Bellegarde’ Infantry Regiment.  Also present are two regiments from FML Hohenlohe’s centre division; in the foreground is the 8th ‘Erzherzog Ludwig’ Infantry Regiment and in reserve on the Vorberg is the 46th ‘Chasteler’ Infantry Regiment.

Above:  Guarding the right flank of IV. Korps are FML Dedovich’s 12th ‘Deutsch-Banát’ Grenze Infantry Regiment (just visible in the woods) and a 3pdr Grenze Battery.  Also under Dedovich’s command are the 3rd ‘Erzherzog Karl’ Infantry Regiment, who are occupying Obersanding in the foreground.  In support to the rear of the Grenze are the 22nd ‘Koburg’ Infantry Regiment of Hohenlohe’s Division.

Above:  As mentioned above, in this playtest version of the scenario, we started with the Austrian reserves on table; namely FML Hessen-Homburgs’ Cuirassier Division (Lederer’s and Schneller’s Brigades, plus two 6pdr cavalry batteries) and GM Rohan’s Grenadier Division (Melgum’s and Steyrer’s Brigades).

Above:  Deploying on the high ground opposite Unterlaiching is Deroi’s 3rd Bavarian Division of Marshal Lebevre’s VII Corps.  This is a very strong division, consisting of two very strong infantry brigades (Sieben’s and Vincenti’s) Seydewitz’s Cavalry Brigade, a 12pdr foot battery and two 6pdr light mounted batteries.  As the two infantry brigades are so strong, I’ve massed the light battalions on the right flank as a separate unit.

Above:  On the Bavarians’s left is GD Saint-Hilaire’s 4th Division of Marshal Davout’s III Corps.  This consists of two strong infantry brigades; Lorencez’s and Destabenrath’s, plus a 4pdr horse battery.  Destabenrath’s brigade is so strong that I’ve split off the 10e Légère as a separate unit.  In the foreground is Davout’s headquarters and GB Piré’s III Corps Cavalry Brigade.  Davout also initially had the services of Saint-Germain’s Cuirassier Brigade, but they rode off through Schierling during the morning, to rejoin their parent division as part of the Emperor’s approaching column.

Above:  The first elements of that approaching column have just appeared to the south of Eggmühl.  GM von Hügel has already reached the bridge with the Württemberg Light Infantry and is already coming under fire from Vukassovich’s 6pdr cavalry battery.  Following close behind are GD Vandamme (commanding VIII Corps) and the Württemberg Jäger and 6pdr horse artillery.

Above:  On the extreme right flank are the leading elements of GD Gudin’s 3rd Division of Marshal Lannes’ Provisional Corps, consisting of Petit’s Brigade (which is so large that I’ve split it into two separate units).  The weir at the Stanglmühl water-mill is only passable by infantry with some difficulty and Gudin is uncharacteristically cautious about making the crossing right under the noses of Bieber’s whitecoats.

Above:  Keen to capture Unterlaiching as quickly as possible, Deroy throws Sieben’s Brigade straight into the assault, while Saint-Hilaire launches a supporting assault on the left with the 10e Légère.  The rest of Deroi’s division provides supporting fire in an attempt to keep Austrian heads down.

Above:  However, the 44th ‘Bellegarde’ Regiment is made of sterner stuff and throws the attackers back over the stream.  Austrian celebrations are short-lived however, as the French and Bavarian artillery continue their bombardment of the village.

Above:  Not fancying his chances in a direct assault across the weir at Stanglmühl, Gudin decides instead to join the direct assault across the Eggmühl Bridge!

Above:  Davout observes closely as the main body of Saint-Hilaire’s Division advances on Oberlaiching.  Lorencez’s Brigade (3e & 57e de Ligne) moves up through the copse on the right, while Destabenrath’s Brigade (72e & 105e de Ligne) crosses the open ground on the left, supported by Piré’s cavalry.  On the left, Friant’s Division advances through the woods.

Above:  At Eggmühl, Hügel’s initial assault with the Light Infantry has been comprehensively beaten off by the Grenze and falls back to lick its wounds.  As Hügel’s Jäger and horse artillery deploy to provide covering fire, Gudin moves forward with his leading regiment.  General Vandamme arrives and demands to know why Hügel hasn’t already taken Eggmühl!

Above:  In the meantime, Wöllwarth arrives with his Württemberg cavalry.  While the horsemen wait for the crossing to become available, Wöllwarth intervenes in the command dispute and manages to dissuade the seething Hügel from challenging Vandamme to a duel.

Above:  Saint-Hilaire’s first assault on Oberlaiching is spearheaded by Lorencez’s Brigade using the cover provided by the small wood.  However, this doesn’t help very much as the French infantry are beaten off and forced to withdraw, though with only relatively light casualties.

Above:  On the far northern flank, a sharp firefight has developed in the woods between the ‘Erzherzog Karl’ Regiment and Gautier’s Brigade (108e & 111e de Ligne) of Friant’s Division.  Friant also inserts Gilly’s small brigade (consisting of just the 15e Légère) between Gautier’s left flank and the stream.

Above:  The Emperor has arrived!

Above:  Following close behind the Emperor is Saint-Sulpice’s 2nd Cuirassier Division.  Seeing the chaos still ongoing at Eggmühl Bridge, Napoleon instead directs Saint-Sulpice to take his division over the river at Schierling and to place themselves on the Bavarian right flank.

Above:  At Unterlaiching, Marshal Lefebvre has launched a massive general attack (after some considerable artillery preparation) against the village, this time throwing in the entirety of Deroi’s 3rd Bavarian Division and Demont’s (French) Reserve Division.  The defending 44th ‘Bellegarde’ Regiment are simply overwhelmed and having already taken considerable casualties from artillery fire, completely disintegrate and flee through the woods to safety as Sieben’s Bavarians mercilessly hunt down the survivors in the village.

Above:  However, Stutterheim has anticipated such a move and sweeps down off the Vorberg with his two cavalry regiments, to take Demont in the flank!

Above:  Demont’s 3rd Brigade, on the extreme right flank, fails to form square and is ridden down by the 4th ‘Vincent’ Chevauxlegers!  The survivors flee past Demont for the safety of Schierling.  The disciplined Austrian troopers manage to maintain control and line up their next target; Seydewitz’s Bavarian Cavalry Brigade.

Above:  Demont is forced to flee as the Austrian chevauxlegers charge across the stream!  However, to Stutterheim’s disappointment, the Bavarian cavalry manage to stand their ground and both sides fall back to reconsider their options.

Above:  The Austrian 10th ‘Stipsicz’ Hussars meanwhile, tried to exploit their comrades’ success by launching their own charge on Demont’s remaining brigade.  However, the inexperienced young Frenchmen managed to form square and the hussars were rebuffed!

Above:  Saint-Hilaire meanwhile, makes a second attempt on Oberlaiching.  This time he personally leads Lorencez’s Brigade forward through the woods, while Davout himself decides to re-live his glory days as a Général de Brigade, in leading Destabenrath’s Brigade forward in the assault!  However, as Saint-Hilaire leads his men in with the bayonet, Davout pauses, fumbling in his pockets for his spectacles…

[In game terms, Davout needed an 8 or less to activate on a D10… and failed.  Dave then deployed one of his precious stash of re-roll markers and failed again… 🙂 ]

Above:  Despite Davout’s hesitancy, Saint-Hilaire’s assault is a complete success and the 55th ‘Reuss-Greitz’ Regiment abandons its positions as Lorencez’s Brigade storms into Oberlaiching!  However, the best moment to counter-attack is always while the enemy is in some disorder, occupying their newly-captured position and anticipating this moment, Hohenlohe already has two regiments (22nd ‘Koburg’ and 46th ‘Chasteler’) in position to the rear of the village, ready to mount an immediate counter-attack.

Above:  On the northern flank, the 3rd ‘Erzherzog Karl’ Regiment is holding its ground and repulses the first assault by Gautier’s Brigade.

Above:  An overhead view from the north of the battlefield.

Above:  As Hohenlohe’s counter-attack goes in, the 22nd ‘Koburg’ Regiment, on the right of the attack, receive an enormous volume of fire from Destabenrath’s Brigade and French horse artillery.  The regiment is unable to press home the attack and is routed, fleeing for the safety of the woods to their rear.

Above:  However, the 46th ‘Chasteler’ Regiment, charging from the far side of Oberlaiching and hidden from enemy artillery, successfully manages to eject Saint-Hilaire from the village and re-occupies the position!  Saint-Hilaire is forced to flee along with Lorencez’s infantry, though they eventually manage to rally at the bottom of the valley and prepare to go back up the hill.

Above:  On the northern flank, the situation suddenly deteriorates rather sharply for Friant, as Kayser’s Brigade (consisting of two regiments; 7th ‘Schröder’ and 56th ‘Wenzel Colloredo’) of III. Korps suddenly appears on Gilly’s left flank!

Above:  Over on the opposite flank, Morand’s Division has arrived at the Stanglmühl.  Despite Gudin’s initial hesitancy in assaulting across the mill-weir, things continue to go badly at Eggmühl Bridge, so Morand will have to gird his loins and press on!  However, he has to contend with Petit’s Brigade who, having been left by Gudin to guard the mill, are very much in everyone’s way (doubly so when they keep becoming disordered by Bieber’s artillery)!

Above:  Gudin meanwhile, has just launched the 21e de Ligne over Eggmühl Bridge and this assault, like the Württembergers before them, ends in dismal, bloody failure.

Above:  A view of the main Austrian position at the Bettelberg and Vorberg, with Hessen-Homburg’s Cuirassier Reserve in the foreground and Vukassovich with the 3rd ‘Erzherzog Ferdinand’ Hussars still in reserve on the high ground.

[As mentioned earlier, I had initially decided to bring the Austrian Reserve Korps onto table at the start of the game, but quickly realised that they would tip the balance of the scenario too far.  They therefore became mere table-decoration until Turn 10 when, when they were finally released for use]

Above:  With the Austrian 46th ‘Chasteler’ Regiment now disordered as it re-occupies Oberlaiching, there is the perfect opportunity for Davout, still attached to Destabenrath’s Brigade, to repay the compliment and launch his own counter-attack!  However, he’s still looking for his glasses and as ADCs are dispatched to ride back to his headquarters for his spare pair, the opportunity passes.

[Once again, all he needs is an 8 or less on a D10 to get moving, but rolls a 9… Dave then throws in ANOTHER re-roll marker… and rolls a 10… 😀 ] 

Above:  General Piré however, suffers from no such indecision and, seeing the 8th ‘Erzherzog Ludwig’ Regiment looking vulnerable, decides to launch his cavalry up the hill!  The Austrians fail to form square, but by some miracle manage to deliver a devastating volley into the French cavalry which disorders them as they charge up the slope.  The resultant impact is therefore negligible and the French horsemen are forced to withdraw with heavy losses.  A lucky hit from the Grenze 3pdr battery then sees Piré’s men flee the field completely!

Above:  With his first assault across Eggmühl Bridge having failed, Gudin now brings up the 85e de Ligne and this time leads the assault himself.  However, despite initial promise, this charge also fails and the French infantry flee back across the bridge in front of their furious Emperor.

[In game terms, the combat had actually gone catastrophically for the Austrians, as can be seen on the dice in the photo above!  However, Rosenberg deployed one of his precious stash of re-roll markers and the result was reversed.]

Above:  With Unterlaiching secured, Deroi pushes his Bavarian infantry up through the wood, aiming to silence or at least force back the two Austrian 12pdr position batteries atop the Vorberg.

Above:  On the Vorberg, Sommariva has returned to rally his 55th ‘Reuss-Greitz’ Regiment, who had earlier been ejected from Oberlaiching.  However, he can’t stay for long, as his 9th ‘Czartoryski’ Regiment is the tactical reserve for the Eggmühl garrison and he daren’t stay away from that critical sector for too long.

Above:  At Schierling, Saint-Sulpice’s 2nd Cuirassier Division crosses over the Grosse-Laaber and passes through the town.

Above:  South of Eggmühl, a truly monumental traffic jam is building up as Nansouty’s colossal 1st Cuirassier Division arrives.

Above:  On the far northern flank, the battle has stagnated as Kayser seems remarkably reluctant to exploit his advantageous position on the left flank of Gilly’s Brigade.  Gilly is therefore able to fall back, thus refusing the left flank and engaging in a firefight across the stream.  Friant meanwhile, has managed to rally Gautier’s Brigade in his centre and is at last pushing forward with Grandeau’s Brigade on his right, against the 12th ‘2nd Deutsch-Banát’ Grenze in the woods.

Above:  Morand meanwhile, is slowly making progress in establishing a bridgehead across the Grosse-Laaber, despite some disorder caused by Bieber’s artillery.  Morand’s own 4pdr horse artillery simply lacks the range to reply effectively from beyond the marsh.

Above:  “If you want a job doing properly, do it yourself…”  Vandamme, frustrated at Hügel and Gudin’s lack of progress in securing Eggmühl, personally leads the Württemberg Light Infantry forward in their second charge of the day!  However, the Württembergers are badly shot up by the Grenze and their supporting cavalry battery and the charge ends in yet another disaster.  Vandamme’s horse is shot from under him, but after a tot of brandy to steady his nerves, the grizzled veteran general acquires a remount and carries on.

Above:  With Vandamme’s assault having failed, Hügel orders the Württemberg Jäger to prepare themselves to make the next assault.  However, the unthinkable then happens!  The supporting Württemberg artillery first manage to silence the extremely destructive Austrian cavalry battery covering the bridge and with their next shot, manage to demoralise the Grenze so much that their nerve finally breaks and they run for the hills, leaving Eggmühl completely unoccupied!  The Austrian 9th ‘Czartoryski’ Regiment is already in position for just such an eventually, but with Sommariva presently absent, they dither in indecision…

Above:  Marshal Lannes, watching from the opposite bank, immediately identifies the astonishing opportunity that has suddenly presented itself.  “Now, Hügel!  Now is your time!  Up, Jäger and at them!”  Sure enough, General von Hügel and his Jäger storm across the bridge and quickly secure their prize before the whitecoats can react.  Now at last, the Emperor’s heavy cavalry can cross over to take the fight to the Kaiserlicks!

Above:  Things are also proceeding well at Stanglmühl, as Morand successfully crosses over with the third regiment of Lacour’s Brigade (13e Légère, 17e de Ligne & 30e de Ligne).  Bieber isn’t inclined to come down off the Einsidelberg, so satisfies himself with bombarding them as the infantry wait nervously along the crest.

Above:  At long last, Saint-Sulpice’s leading cuirassier brigade (Clément’s) emerges from Schierling and passes the Bavarian cavalry, aiming directly for Stutterhim’s Austrian horsemen.

Above:  At Eggmühl, Nansouty wastes no time in following up Hügel’s success and throws Defrance’s Carabinier Brigade across the bridge.  Vukassovich’s cavalry battery, which has previously done so much damage to enemy units crossing the bridge, is this time unable to reply, thanks to Württemberg counter-battery efforts.  On the left, Sommariva has finally returned, but is too late to prevent the enemy capture of Eggmühl.  The Austrians now have only one chance to recapture the village with its bridge…

Above:  West of Eggmühl, another surprising event has taken place.  Wöllwarth’s cavalry, scouting along the river bank, have discovered a mill-weir at Schnitzlmühl.  Having opened the sluice-gate, the water-level behind the weir has dropped sufficiently that cavalry are now able to cross the river with some difficulty.  Wöllwarth wastes no time in ordering his brigades to cross over and deploy onto the water-meadows along the north bank.

Above:  Stutterheim, realising that he is about to be crushed between three massive cavalry formations, pulls his cavalry back onto the high ground, hoping against hope that the scant advantage of the slope will save them.

Above:  As Clément’s Cuirassier Brigade shakes out into line near Unterlaiching, Guiton’s Brigade forms up close behind him, while their divisional horse artillery struggles through the traffic-jam at the rear.

Above:  Vincenti’s Bavarian Brigade finally emerges from the wood to capture an isolated position battery of Austrian 12pdrs atop the Vorberg!  However, the assault quickly grinds to a bloody halt as the Bavarians are subjected to a colossal storm of shot from the 55th ‘Reuss-Greitz’ Regiment, their supporting 6pdr cavalry battery and the surviving 12pdr position battery.

Above:  To the rear of Saint-Hilare’s Division, Crown Prince Ludwig’s 1st Bavarian Division has now arrived.  Consisting of two large infantry brigades (Rechberg’s and Stengel’s) and a 12pdr position battery (his cavalry brigade and light mounted battery are both absent), he marches to fill the vulnerable gap that has opened up between Saint-Hilaire and Friant.

Above:  Realising that there will never be a better opportunity to meet the French heavy cavalry than when they are still massed in column while crossing the bridge, Vukassovich reluctantly launches the 3rd ‘Erzherzog Ferdinand’ Hussars down the hill to meet Defrance’s Carabiniers.  By some miracle, the hussars manage to rout the Carabiniers, who flee back over the bridge to the jeers of the infantry watching on both sides!

Above:  However, Vukassovich’s luck doesn’t hold, as his hussars immediately go berserk and throw themselves at the Jäger lurking among the houses and gardens of Eggmühl.  The hussars are easily beaten off and retire to reform behind the Bettelberg.

Above:  In the meantime, Sommariva has launched his own assault on Eggmühl with the 9th ‘Czartosyski’ Regiment, which immediately gets off to a bad start as the expert marksmen of the Jäger inflict heavy casualties on the attackers, disrupting the cohesion of their assault.  Things then go from bad to worse for the Austrians as they are comprehensively defeated.  Sommariva himself is mortally wounded.  His men carry him back with them as they flee and inspired by his sacrifice they manage to rally, though Sommariva later dies on the surgeon’s table.

Above:  The Emperor, now joined by his escort from the Baden Light Dragoons, looks on with increasing disgruntlement at the situation before him.  The day is now starting to come to a close and while progress has been made, he had hoped to be already attacking Archduke Charles’ main body by now, but here he is, still struggling to deal with the flank-guard!

Above:  With his right flank now secured by Saint-Sulpice’s cuirassers, Lefebvre throws Deroi’s 3rd Bavarian Division and Demont’s Reserve Division up the slope of the Vorberg, to clear away the Austrian artillery once and for all!  However, the Austrians aren’t willing to give up their guns, or possession of the high ground, without a fight!

Above:  Having found a replacement horse, Vandamme joins Stettner’s Cavalry Brigade as they deploy beyond the Grosse-Laaber and at last prepare to take on the Austrian cavalry.

Above:  With his last brigade (l’Huillier’s, consisting of just the 60e de Ligne) finally across the Grosse-Laaber, Morand launches two regiments of Lacour’s Brigade (13e Légère and 30e de Ligne) up the steep Einsiedelberg, where they are met by a storm of fire from Bieber’s 38th ‘Württemberg’ Regiment.

[Thank goodness the Württembergers decided not to attack this position, or it would have got confusing…]

Above:  Despite some light casualties from the defensive fire, the assault is completely successful and the 38th ‘Württemberg’ Regiment are routed, along with the supporting gunners.

Above:  At Eggmühl, Nansouty throws another brigade across the bridge; this time it’s Doumerc’s Cuirassier Brigade who have the honour of sabering the depleted cavalry battery.  Bravely standing their ground (they could have limbered up and evaded the charge), the brave Austrian gunners manage to empty a few saddles, but are soon overwhelmed by the cuirassiers and are destroyed.

Above:  However, Doumerc’s blood-crazed troopers now lose control and launch a ragged charge up the slopes of the Bettelberg, where the 10th ‘Stipsicz’ Hussars are waiting.  The Austrian hussars, having the advantages of the slope and good order, contemptuously throw the cuirassiers back down the slope, whereupon the rout back over Eggmühl Bridge, causing yet more traffic problems!

Above:  However, like the cuirassiers before them, the 10th ‘Stipsicz’ Hussars now go berserk and launch a disordered charge at the first enemy unit they see, which is Clément’s Cuirassier Brigade… This is highly unlikely to end well…  However, by some miracle, the hussars, having got themselves into trouble, actually manage to fight their way back out of it and both brigades fall back to lick their wounds.  The Austrian hussars really do seem to have the luck of the Gods today.

Above:  Saint-Hilaire meanwhile, is leading his third assault of the day on Oberlaiching.  To recap, he started the day by being beaten off, but then succeeded in capturing the village with his second assault, only to be thrown out again by an Austrian counter-attack.  However, he has rallied Lorencez’s Brigade and once again leads them up the hill, using the cover of the woods to reduce the effectiveness of any defensive fire.

Above:  However, it’s all for naught, as the defending 46th ‘Chasteler’ Regiment throw the Frenchmen back down the hill yet again.  Saint-Hilaire once again rallies his men at the bottom of the valley and prepares for the next assault.  This time however, Crown Prince Ludwig, having observed Saint-Hilaire’s dilemma, orders Major Leiningen to deploy his 12pdr battery to support the next French assault.

Above:  With the 38th ‘Württemberg’ Regiment having broken and fled in the face of Morand’s assault, Bieber held out hope that the 20th ‘Kaunitz’ Regiment, holding the second line along the tree-line, would be able to hold the Einsiedelberg, but alas it was not to be.  Overwhelmed by firepower, the 20th Regiment too, broke and fled through the woods.  With all positions along the Grosse-Laaber now firmly in French hands, Austrian defeat is now guaranteed.  All that remains is to decide the severity of that defeat.

[NB We completely forgot that the weir at Stanglmühl was impassable to artillery, so a naughty horse battery has sneaked across while nobody was looking.]

Above:  As Crown Prince Ludwig’s 1st Bavarian Division attempts to break through north of Oberlaiching, Leiningen’s 12pdr battery softens up the village in preparation for Saint-Hilaire’s next assault.

Above:  At Unterlaiching, Deroi’s and Saint-Hilaire’s artillery falls silence as the enemy is masked by friendlies or is pushed out of range.  However, beyond the woods, Deroi’s Bavarian infantry, shredded by close-range Austrian fire as they clear the treeline, have finally had enough and flee the field en masse!

Above:  Having recovered from their earlier clash, Saint-Sulpice’s cuirassiers re-order their lines and prepare to charge.  The Bavarians might be breaking and running on their left, but Demont’s youngsters are still in the fight as they successfully overrun another Austrian battery.

Above:  On the Bettelberg, the Austrian horse are as ready as they’ll ever be.

Above:  While Nansouty rallies his two routed brigades in the marsh, Gudin causes absolute traffic-havoc as he marches his division back to Stanglmühl, leaving Eggmühl Bridge open for the cavalry.

Above:  At last, the tidal wave of cuirassiers breaks over the Vorberg as Clément’s Brigade leads Saint-Sulpice’s Division over the crest to clash with the 3rd ‘Erzherzog Ferdinand’ Hussars and the 4th ‘Vincent’ Chevauxlegers.  Guiton’s Brigade follows very close behind, leaving no margin for error, should it all go wrong for Clément.  “Are you sure that’s wise, Sir…?”

Above:  Once again, the Austrian hussars prove that the Gods [or at least Dear Departed Deutchmeister Doug’s Dreaded Dastardly Purple Dice of Doom…] are definitely on their side this day, as Clément’s charge fails to break them.  As Clément’s cuirassiers fall back, they inevitably disorder Guiton’s Brigade, created an irresistible target for the Austrian cavalry.

Above:  Whittled down by the Bavarian artillery, the 46th ‘Chasteler’ Regiment in Oberlaiching is starting to waver.  At that moment, Saint-Hilaire leads Lorencez’s Brigade in yet another charge through the woods!

Above:  The 46th ‘Chasteler’ Regiment can finally take no more and breaks and runs as Lorencez’s Brigade captures Oberlaiching for the second and final time!  However, just beyond the village is Steyrer’s Austrian Grenadier Brigade, ideally positioned to mount an immediate counter-attack.  However, their divisional commander Rohan is elsewhere and the Grenadiers remain in place as the opportunity passes.

Above:  A short distance to the north, Crown Prince Ludwig’s 1st Bavarian Division launches its assault on the ridge.

Above:  Stengel’s Bavarian Brigade [comprising veteran Battle Honours Bavarians] makes short work of the Austrian 8th ‘Erzherzog Ludwig’ Regiment, which disintegrates and flees the field.  The supporting Grenze gunners meanwhile, make good their escape up the road to Regensburg.  The Bavarians break through into the ‘green fields beyond’!

Above:  At last, Hessen-Homburg’s Kürassier Reserve strikes!  Schneller’s Brigade on the right, charges over the Bettelberg to contact Guiton’s disordered Cuirassiers, while Lederer’s Brigade on the left charges directly across the low ground to hit Stettner’s Württemberg Cavalry Brigade (with Vandamme attached).

Above:  The view from the top of the hill as Stutterheim also leads the 4th ‘Vincent’ Chevauxlegers forward to join the counter-attack against Guiton’s Cuirassiers.

Above:  The outcome is a disaster for the French, as Guiton’s Brigade is crushed and routs through both Demont’s 3rd Brigade and Clément’s Cuirassier Brigade, disordering both!  Worse is to come as Saint-Sulpice is mortally wounded by the rampaging kürassiere.  He survives long enough to ride back and rally Guiton’s men, but soon succumbs to his wounds.  Lederer’s charge is nowhere near as decisive however, and following an inconclusive clash, both sides fall back to rally.

Above:  With Guiton routed, Schneller unforunately loses control of his men, who launch a ragged charge into Demont’s 3rd Brigade.  The inexperienced French infantry, already disordered by the rout of the cuirassiers, fail to form square and are immediately ridden down, with the survivors fleeing to the relative safety of Unterlaiching.  With the Austrian kürassiere now milling about in disorder, Vandamme is quick to take advantage of the situation and leads Röder’s Württemberg Cavalry Brigade in yet another charge.

Above:  However, the combat is again indecisive and while the Württembergers hurt Schneller’s kürassiere, they are unable to break them and both sides withdraw to redress their ranks and reconsider their next move.

Above:  At Oberlaiching, Hohenlohe demonstrates that he still has some fight left, as he orders the 22nd ‘Koburg’ Regiment to charge Rechberg’s disordered Bavarian Brigade.  The attack is successful and Rechberg’s men are routed, fleeing back to the stream!

Above:  However, before Hohenlohe has a chance to exploit his success, Saint-Hilaire strikes back with Destabenrath’s Brigade, who completely shatter the 22nd ‘Koburg’ Regiment.

Above:  As Crown Prince Ludwig rallies Rechberg’s Brigade, he can now see that with the destruction of Hohenlohe, there is now a yawning hole in the heart of the Austrian position.

Above:  On the northern flank, near Obersanding, the fight in the woods between the 3rd ‘Erzherzog Karl’ Regiment and Gautier’s Brigade continues to go back and forth, with attack followed by counter-attack and neither side gaining a particular advantage over the other.  The Austrians could easily tip the balance if only Kayser could be persuaded to attack, but he seems content to remain on the bank of the stream and engage in a desultory firefight with Gilly’s 15e Légère.

Above:  Deep in the woods, Friant has finally managed to destroy the 12th ‘Deutsch-Banát’ Grenze Regiment, though Rohan mounts a spirited counter-attack at the head of Melgum’s Grenadier Brigade!

Above:  Grandeau’s Brigade suffer the worst of the combat and are routed, though are quickly rallied by Friant.

Above:  On Friant’s left, Gautier’s Brigade finally manage to rout the persistent 3rd ‘Erzherzog Karl’ Regiment.  Gautier however, has suffered heavy losses and could easily be destroyed if Kayser attacks, but true to form, Kayser remains where he is on the far side of the stream.

[In game terms, Kayser needed a roll of 4 or less on a D10 to activate and never managed to achieve it even once during the course of the game.  Rosenberg meanwhile, had far more pressing crises to worry about elsewhere, so was never able to ride over and get Kayser moving.]

Above:  Having participated in the rout of Guiton’s cuirassiers, Stutterheim managed to halt the 4th ‘Vincent’ Chevauxlegers and then waited to see what developed.  Seeing Demont’s 1st Brigade isolated and in line amid the wreckage of the Austrian batteries, he orders his troopers to charge once again!  However, Demont’s raw recruits have defeated Stutterheim once before and once again, they manage to form square like veterans.

Above:  Stutterheim’s troopers fall back once again to the rear slope of the Bettelberg, where the wreckage of several infantry regiments are also rallying.  The two hussar regiments and Schneller’s Kürassier Brigade however, are still in pretty good shape and ready to fend off another French charge.  Lederer’s Kürassier Brigade though, is suffering casualties from Morand’s French infantry lurking along the edge of the woods and is forced to fall back.

Above:  Crown Prince Ludwig and Saint-Hilaire push forward into the massive gap now opened in the Austrian lines between Oberlaiching and the northern woods.

Above:  Despite his brief success against Friant, Rohan realises that with the Austrian infantry regiments collapsing on either side, his grenadier brigades are in serious danger of being surrounded and overrun.  He orders the grenadiers to pull back and to assist the cavalry in covering the retreat of the army.

Above:  Dedovich attempts to rally the wreckage of the 3rd ‘Erzherzog Karl’ Regiment, though without success.

Above:  As his voltigeurs snipe at the massed Austrian cavalry, Morand pushes forward from the Einsiedelberg.

Above:  His cuirassiers and carabiniers having rallied, Nansouty pushes forward once again over Eggmühl Bridge, along with Hügel and his rallied Light Infantry.

Above:  As night draws in, the Austrians are able to cleanly disengage, as the nearest French and Württemberg cavalry are busy rallying and in the cuirassiers’ case are temporarily without leadership, following the death of Saint-Sulpice.

Above:  As the Austrians make good their escape, both sides take stock of their respective situation.  The Austrians have lost five of their eleven infantry regiments outright, as well as both of the Grenze regiments, almost all of their artillery, including all of the 12pdr position guns and FML Sommariva has been killed.  The remaining infantry regiments have mostly suffered heavy losses, though one of Kayser’s regiments has only suffered moderate losses, while Kayser’s other regiment and Rohan’s Grenadier Brigades are still intact, having only suffered light losses.  The cavalry have suffered surprisingly light losses, considering their heavy engagement.  However, all the key positions have been lost and Rosenberg’s force is now in full retreat.  Nevertheless, the cavalry and reserves retain sufficient strength with which to mount a reasonably potent rearguard.

On the French side, Deroi’s 3rd Bavarian Division is completely hors de combat except for Seydewitz’s cavalry brigade and the large artillery component, which remain intact.  Piré’s cavalry were driven from the field.  All of Davout’s and Demont’s infantry brigades have suffered heavy losses, though none are broken.  Hügel’s Württemberg Advance Guard Brigade, Crown Prince Ludwig’s 1st Bavarian Division, Lannes’ Corps and the three cavalry divisions have suffered fairly light casualties, with many sub-units still being perfectly fresh and combat-ready.

So on balance, while this has been an overwhelming defeat for the Austrians, they did manage to inflict considerable delay upon Napoleon’s attack, holding him until nightfall, giving ample opportunity for the rest of Archduke Charles’ army to escape across the Danube.  However, Rosenberg’s IV. Korps and a sizeable chunk of III. Korps is now a shadow of its former self and will be of limited combat value until after a significant period of rest, reinforcement and reorganisation.

My thanks to Dave and the lads at W.A.S.P. for a truly excellent game!

As you’ve probably noticed, I painted a load of new Bavarian and Württemberg troops for this game, so those units will be profiled soon, and there’s still more Seven Years War stuff to come.

As discussed last time, instead of playing our planned continuation of the Battle of Neumarkt at the Wargames Association of South Pembrokeshire (W.A.S.P.), we instead played through a refight of the Battle of Teugn-Hausen.  I posted the scenario last time, so go and have a look there for the background to this battle.

As usual, the rules used are Napoleon’s Battles (4th Edition).  This is a ‘grand-tactical’ ruleset with a figure ratio of around 1:100 and each tactical unit representing a brigade or large regiment.

Above:  This time I actually remembered to orientate my overhead shot with the scenario map! 🙂

Above:  As Davout confers with Saint-Hilaire at Teugn, an Austrian cavalry battery appears on the crest of the Buchberg and starts taking pot-shots at Saint-Hilaire’s column!  As they watch, whitecoats begin to appear on the crest of the Hausener-Berg.

Above:  Saint-Hilaire’s division has five regiments marching on the road; the 10e Légère have already passed through Teugn, though the 3e, 57e, 72e and 105e de Ligne are still marching through.  The divisional horse artillery is detached, currently supporting the corps rearguard.

Above:  At the rear of Saint-Hilaire’s column, the 72e and 105e de Ligne march into Teugn, which seems to be suffering from some architectural subsidence.

Above:  Lurking among the trees at the crest of the Buchberg, is Vukassovich’s advance guard infantry brigade, consisting of the 2nd Battalion, 9th (Peterwardeiner) Grenzer and the Waltrich Jäger Battalion (here represented by a regular Jäger unit, as my Grenzer are all otherwise engaged in the Neumarkt game and I haven’t yet painted the Waltrich Jäger).  Deployed alongside them is a 6-pounder cavalry battery, which has already started bowling over infantrymen in the 57e de Ligne.

Above:  Deployed further back, on the edge of woods on the Hausener-Berg and also under Vukassovich’s command, is the 3rd ‘Erzherzog Ferdinand’ Hussar Regiment.

Above:  Deploying astride the road on the crest of the Hausener-Berg is Kayser’s brigade of Lusignan’s division, consisting of the 7th ‘Schröder Regiment (dark brown facings) and the 56th ‘Wenzel Colloredo’ Regiment (steel green facings).  Lusignan’s second brigade is sadly elsewhere, defending a key point on the line of march, and will take no part in today’s battle.

Above:  An overhead view of the Austrian advance guard.  The corps commander, Hohenzollern-Hechingen has ridden forward for a closer look at the situation.

Above:  Davout orders Saint-Hilaire to immediately attack the Buchberg!  The 3e & 57e de Ligne form into attack-columns and begin their advance, as the 72e & 105e de Ligne pass through Teugn and prepare to deploy in support.  The 10e Légère has now returned to the division and deploys in support of the right flank.

Above:  “Bonaparte’s Balls!”  Taking everyone by surprise, the 3rd ‘Erzherzog Ferdinand’ Hussars come galloping down the hill, sending Davout, Saint-Hilaire and their staff fleeing for their lives!  Astonishingly, the 57e de Ligne live up to their nickname “Le Terrible” and fail to form squares!

[In game terms, an opening shot by the cavalry battery had disordered the 57e de  Ligne, forcing the deployment of a French re-roll marker.  The Austrian hussars decided to charge anyway and deployed more re-roll markers in trying to catch Davout and Saint-Hilaire, though without success!  Then, when the 57e successfully tested to form square, the Austrians deployed a third re-roll marker, which resulted in the 57e failing to form square…]

Above:  A ragged volley against the hussars achieves nothing and the 57e de Ligne break and run for the safety of the village!  The Colonel of the 3rd Hussars successfully manages to reign in his men’s blood-lust and lines up his next target, the 72e de Ligne, who are presently strung out on the march, with no hope of forming squares!

[In game terms, a successful volley against the hussars resulted in the deployment of a fourth Austrian re-roll marker and the 57e were ridden down…]

Above:  It comes as little surprise when the 72e de Ligne are ridden down by the 3rd Hussars, closely followed by the 105e de Ligne!  The 105e de Ligne are able to flee to the safety of the village, but the 72e are irrecoverably broken.  Davout and Saint-Hilaire are forced to flee yet again; Saint-Hilaire joins the 57e de Ligne in Teugn, while Davout rides to the 10e Légère.

[In game terms, the 72e had by a miracle and against all the odds, actually managed to beat off the hussars by a factor of 1.  However, the utter bounder commanding the Austrians deployed his fifth and final re-roll marker to crush their spirit!  Never before, in the field of miniature conflict, has anyone deployed their entire stash of re-roll markers to support a single cavalry charge!  Well now the glove was on the other foot, as I still had five re-roll markers in my stash and he had none… Mwahahahahahahahahahaha!]

Above:  Having demolished three line infantry regiments, the 3rd Hussars’ rampage has still not ended!  However, the 10e Légère, with Marshal Davout in direct command, are made of sterner stuff and successfully manage to form squares!  At last!

Above:  As the hussars attempt to charge home, their charge is thrown into disorder by murderous fire from the blue-coated squares.  Some hussars manage to reach the wall of bayonets, but their confidence shattered, they are forced to flee.  The hussars will play no further part in this battle, but my God, what a charge…

Above:  Saint-Hilaire gets to work rallying the two broken regiments in Teugn.  It will be some time before he is able to bring his division back into some sort of order.  Will he be able to do so before the Austrian infantry arrive?

Above:  On the other side of the hill at Hausen, the leading unit of Saint-Julien’s Division, the 12th ‘Manfredini’ Regiment has arrived.

Above:  To the south of Hausen, Saint-Julien’s second unit, the 20th ‘Kaunitz’ Regiment is also approaching the battle.

Above:  Back at Teugn, Lusignan has advanced to seize the spur of the Buchberg that directly overlooks Teugn.  He also receives the welcome reinforcement of a reserve 12-pounder position battery, personally brought forward by Hohenzollern-Hechingen.

Above:  Having rallied the two regiments in Teugn and ordered them to prepare the village for defence, Saint-Hilaire rides out to re-take control of his two right-flank regiments.

Above:  Out to the east and not a moment too soon, Friant arrives with his leading regiment, the reinforced 108e de Ligne.

[Note that this unit is classed as ‘Veteran Light Infantry’, as it’s been reinforced by massed Voltigeur companies and the 2nd Battalion of the 7e Légère.  I therefore used Légère figures to represent this mixed unit.  I will therefore continue to refer to this unit as the 7e Légère.]

Above:  Vukassovich pushes his light infantry forward to threaten Saint-Hilaire’s right flank.

Above:  Saint-Julien and the 12th ‘Manfredini’ Regiment soon reach the crest of the Hausener-Berg.

Above:  As Austrian reinforcements start to pour out of the woods, Saint-Hilaire advances on the Austrian 56th ‘Wenzel Colloredo’ Regiment.  However, the 3e de Ligne on the right flank are taking a pasting from Vukassovich’s light infantry and cavalry guns.

Above:  Lusignan, having captured the Buchberg Spur, seems content to deploy his 12-pounders and paste the village.

Above:  Saint-Julien finally arrives at Lusignan’s position with his leading regiment and plenty more following behind.

Above:  And not a moment too soon, as Friant deploys his leading regiments and begins to organise the counter-attack.

Above:  Saint-Hilaire finally exacts his revenge on the Austrians!  Sabre in hand, he leads the 10e Légère up the slope.  His men somehow manage to push through the storm of shot from the Austrian 56th Regiment and the flanking cavalry battery and charge home!  Despite their considerable disorder and heavy casualties, the 10e Légère successfully eject the kaiserlicks from the spur!

Above:  Vukassovich pushes forward, continuing to make life miserable for the 3e de Ligne.

Above:  On the opposite flank, Friant hopes to repeat Saint-Hilaire’s success with the 7e Légère against the 7th ‘Schröder’ Regiment.

Above:  At last, Saint-Hilaire’s divisional horse battery arrives on the right flank and the French can finally respond to the deeply irritating Austrian advance guard!

[In game terms, this battery was almost immediately damaged by the Austrian cavalry battery, but we still had five re-roll markers left!  Mwahahahahahahaha!  Not today, Kaiserlicks, not today…]

Above:  Vukassovich continues to harass the 3e de Ligne, but the tables will soon be turned!

Above:  The 10e Légère meanwhile, having seized the crest of the Buchberg Spur, are now being absolutely hammered by canister fire from the Austrian 12-pounder battery!

Above:  At the tip of the Buchenberg Spur, Friant strikes!  As the 33e de Ligne cover the flank, the 7e Légère launch a frontal assault on the 7th ‘Schröder’ Regiment.  However, the combat soon bogs down into a bitter struggle for control of the high ground.

[In game terms, the Austrians actually won the combat!  I was able to deploy yet another re-roll marker, but that only resulted in a draw, so both sides suffered losses and fought another round of combat.]

Above:  Friant’s two remaining regiments, the 48e & 111e de Ligne, arrive at Teugn and prepare to move up in support.

Above:  At last, the 7e Légère manage to push the 7th Regiment back off the spur.  The Austrian gunners start to feel rather alone…

[In game terms, the Austrian 7th Regiment lost the second round of combat, but not catastrophically so.  They successfully managed to fall back without further loss.]

Above:  Although Lusignan’s Division is now fully repulsed (the pink edged marker shows a routing unit and a blue-edged marker shows a disordered unit), Saint-Julien’s division is now ready to intervene in the battle.

Above:  Seeing the 12-pounder battery isolated on the ridge, Saint-Julien orders the 12th ‘Manfredini’ Regiment to engage the 10e Légère and save the guns!  The 20th ‘Kaunitz’ and 38th ‘Württemberg’ Regiments deploy in support.

Above:  Saint-Julien’s last regiment, the 23rd ‘Würzburg’ at last passes over the Hausener-Berg, bringing with it a second 12-pounder position battery.

Above:  Having been shredded by 12-pounder canister, the charge of the 12th ‘Manfredini’ Regiment is all too much for the 10e Légère, who break and flee for the safety of Teugn!

Above:  However, the Austrians have no time to gloat, as the 7e Légère exact a fine revenge, routing the 12th ‘Manfredini’ Regiment and capturing the Austrian 12-pounders!

Above:  Move is swiftly followed by counter-move, as the 20th ‘Kaunitz’ Regiment deploys to attack, supported on the flank by the rallied 7th ‘Schröder’ Regiment.

Above:  On the Buchberg, the 3e de Ligne continue to suffer heavy losses to the Austrian skirmishers and the cavalry battery.  At last they can take no more and are irretrievably broken, having learned the hard way that they should always fear the wurst…

Above:  In the centre, the 20th ‘Kaunitz’ and 7th ‘Schröder’ Regiments launch their charge on the 7e Légère.  The 38th ‘Württemberg’ Regiment moves up in support.

Above:  However, the fresh Austrian assault fails!  The 20th ‘Kaunitz’ Regiment is initially locked in a hard fight with the 7e Légère and losses are heavy on both sides, but the Austrian regiment is eventually forced to fall back in disorder.  The 7th ‘Schröder’ Regiment meanwhile, fares even worse and is routed, fleeing back to the relative safety of the Hausener-Berg.

Above:  The 38th ‘Württemberg’ Regiment meanwhile, skylined on the Buchberg Spur, suddenly finds itself the target of a newly-arrived French 12-pounder battery!  Losses are immediately heavy and the regiment mills about in disorder.  Another French 12-pounder battery is marching to deploy on the French left flank.

Above:  With half of his regiments (the 7th, 12th and 56th) still in a routed state, Hohenzollern-Hechingen is forced to temporarily abandon his duties as army commander and attempt to personally rally them!

Above:  Austrian woes only increase as Saint-Hilaire manages to rally the remnants of the 10e Légère and the leading elements of Gudin’s division now arrive on the field!  Vukassovich’s light infantry are also now starting to suffer heavy losses from the French horse artillery and fall back to the woods on the Buchberg.

Above:  However, the pendulum swings back as Archduke Charles released the reserves.  As General Rohan brings two grenadier brigades up through Hausen, General Stutterheim leads the 4th ‘Vincent’ Chevauxlegers through the woods, aiming to outflank the French line.

Above:  The 38th ‘Württemberg’ Regiment has already suffered 25% casualties since cresting the Buchberg Spur and now falls back down the reverse slope in a desperate attempt to escape the hail of fire from the French 12-pounders.  This leaves Friant fully in command of the Spur and with his division now fully deployed, with 12-pounders in close support, he prepares to go onto the offensive.  However, the time is now 1630hrs and although there are around two hours of daylight left, the skies have started to go prematurely dark as thunder-clouds gather…

[In game terms, the Austrians had actually successfully rolled for the thunder-storm to end the game, but I successfully deployed one of my last two remaining re-roll markers in order to play God and stop the weather!  The Austrians were not going to escape this time!  I’m not proud of this ungentlemanly act, but the rampage of the 3rd Hussars proved that I was dealing with no gentleman!]

Above:  Concerned that the Austrians are going to escape, Gudin throws the 12e & 85e Regiments straight up the Buchberg.  The 21e & 25e Regiments begin to deploy off the road, along with another freshly-arrived horse battery.

Above:  Vukassovich’s light infantry, who had caused so much damage to the French right flank during the early stages of the battle, have now been driven from the field by the efforts of Saint-Hilaire’s horse battery and attention now switches to Vukassovich’s cavalry battery.  Gudin’s 12e Regiment wastes no time in launching an immediate frontal assault on the Austrian gunners, who wisely limber up and escape to the Hausener-Berg as fast as their little sausages will carry them!

Above:  Friant charges once again!  The 7e Légère and 48e de Ligne charge down the rear slope of the Buchberg Spur and crash into the 20th ‘Kaunitz’ Regiment.  Austrian muskets drop a few of the Légère, but it’s not enough and the Austrian regiment is smashed, fleeing up the slope to join their comrades in the new line formed of demoralised Austrian units on the Hausener-Berg.

Above:  Hohenzollern remembers Archduke Charles’ words… “In the evening, look to the south.”  Sure enough, the Pedestrians of Rohan appear on the crest of the hill!

Above:  Another view of Rohan’s grenadiers arriving to save the day.

Above:  “Are you sure this is the right way, Sir…?”  Stutterheim continues to lead his chevauxlegers on a woodland hike.

Above:  The 33e de Ligne and their new gunner friends are getting a bad feeling about those woods…

Above:  That said, they’ve already got plenty in front of them to worry about, as the opposing 12-pounder batteries engage in a fruitless artillery duel.

Above:  The Austrian battery on the Hausener-Berg is now thickened by a cavalry battery from the Reserve Korps.

Sadly, I’ve already used the ‘fear the wurst’ joke once in this report.  Using it again would just be too cheesy and we wouldn’t want this to become a wurst-käse scenario…

Above:  The Pedestrians of Rohan form a roadblock in the Hausener-Berg Gap.

Above:  Vukassovich and his deeply irritating wurst-battery redeploy on the high ground, safe behind the rallied 12th ‘Manfredini’ Regiment.

Above:  In a final, delicious act of vengeance upon the Austrians, the rallied remnants of the 10e Légère crest the Buchberg Spur and engage in a firefight with the 38th ‘Württemberg’ Regiment.  The Austrians very much get the worst of the exchange and the 38th Regiment is utterly broken and driven from the field!

Above:  At last, Stutterheim’s cavalry clear the trees and deploy into the open fields behind the French left flank!  “At last!  Now we have them!  The regiment will draw swords and prepare to char… Oh was that rain…?”

As a terrific thunderstorm broke over the battlefield, the powder became soggy and useless and the fields, which had only just started to dry out after the torrential rain of the previous week, now returned to being quagmires.  The fighting petered out and the relieved Austrians fell back unmolested to the relative safety of the Hausener-Berg.  With his line of retreat secure, Davout was able to resume his retreat without further incident.

The Austrians had been unable to inflict the decisive defeat on Davout that they had hoped for, but there was little doubt that they had certainly given Davout a bloody nose.

My thanks to Andy for an excellent and somewhat hilarious game!  We’re now looking forward to something a bit bigger for September; a refight of the Battle of Eggmühl.  New Bavarians are already under the brush…

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…

Following on from my revised scenario for the Battle of Raab, here’s my after-action report from our recent play-through of the scenario at W.A.S.P.

Andy James took the role of Archduke John, commanding the Army of Inner Austria, while I took the role of Archduke-Palatine Joseph, primarily taking responsibility for the coming cavalry battle on the Austrian left flank.

On the French side, Dave Llewellyn took the role of Viceroy of Italy, Prince Eugène de Beauharnais, while Gareth Beamish played General Baraguèy d’Hilliers, commanding the XII Corps and the various independent formations on the French left flank.

If you skipped the scenario or simply weren’t paying attention, the game was played using Napoleon’s Battles (4th Edition) rules, which is set at a ‘grand tactical’ level, where each unit represents a brigade or large regiment and the figure-ratio is roughly 1:100.

Above:  The overall view of the game, roughly aligned with the map above.

Above:  The French right wing, with Grouchy’s cavalry corps (Montbrun’s and Guérin’s Divisions) in the foreground and Grenier’s VI Corps (Durrutte’s & Seras’ Divisions) on their left, with Lecchi’s Italian Royal Guard in reserve.  Montbrun is understrength and is still waiting for Colbert’s Brigade to arrive.

Above:  The French left wing, with Sahuc’s Light Cavalry Division in the lead, followed by Pully’s Dragoons.

Above:  On the right of Sahuc’s light cavalry are Lauriston’s Baden Contingent and then Baraguéy d’Hillier’s XII Corps (Severoli’s and Pacthod’s Divisions).

Above:  A closeup of XII Corps in the French centre; Severoli’s white-coated Italian regiments are in the foreground with Pacthod’s Frenchmen bringing up the rear.  The Italian Royal Guard and Prince Eugène himself can be glimpsed beyond the village of Csanak.  On the left of the picture is Durutte’s Division of Grenier’s VI Corps.

Above:  So to the Austrian side.  On the Austrian left, Mecséry’s massive Left Wing Corps of regular and Insurrection hussars forms up along the Pandsza stream.

Above:  Another view of Mecséry’s magnificent mass of hussars.  They look pretty, but can they fight…?  Even by Austrian standards, Mecséry does have a massive problem in terms of command & control with so many sub-units to command.

Above:  Yet another view of Mecséry’s hussars.  You perhaps won’t be surprised to learn that I don’t have all that many Hungarian Insurrection regiments in my collection!  I only have two such hussar regiments, as they come in handy for the two such regiments that turned up at Aspern-Essling and Wagram (the ‘Primatial’ and ‘Neutra’ Regiments).  One of them is pictured in the foreground here and I profiled them on the blog a few years ago.  I’ve used two green-coated regular regiments to represent the two regular hussar regiments present with Mecséry’s force and the remaining regular hussar regiments in my collection have filled out the rest of the Insurrection regiments, along with a regiment of SYW hussars (it’s entirely possible that most of the Insurrection hussars were still wearing busbies in 1809, as their dress regulations had only recently changed to the shako).

Above:  The Austrian centre.  Colloredo’s Centre Corps is deployed around the Kis-Megyer Farm, while Jellacíc’s Right Wing Corps is deployed around the straggling Szabadhegy village in the foreground.  Frimont’s Reserve Corps is formed up to the rear on Szabadhegy Hill, though Frimont himself has absented himself.

Above:  A close-up of the Kis-Megyer Farm.  Ungerhofer’s Landwehr Brigade is holding the farm itself, while Lutz’s regular infantry brigade (IRs 61 & 62) deploys with a 3pdr cavalry battery to guard the bridge.  Beyond the farm are IR 27 ‘Strassoldo’ and Ghilyani’s Brigade of Hungarian Insurrection infantry.

Above:  Jellacíc’s Right Wing Corps takes up position around Szabadhegy village; Sebottendorff’s Brigade of regular infantry (IRs 32 & 45) takes up position in front of the village, with Markus’ Insurrection Infantry Brigade filling the gap between the village and Kis-Megyer Farm, while Legisfeld’s Landwehr Brigade takes up position in reserve to the rear of the village and their cavalry battery covers the bridge.  Grenze Infantry Regiment (GIR) 10 (1st Banal) is pushed further out on the right flank and deploys in skirmish order, screening the front of Frimont’s cavalry.

Above:  FML Frimont is the commander of the Army Reserve, but on this occasion has been ordered to take command of Jellacíc’s cavalry, as well as the cavalry of the Reserve, and deploy on the right flank.  Besan’s Brigade consists of a number massed regular dragoon, chevauxleger and hussar squadrons (they were mostly dragoons, so I’ve used a regiment of dragoons to represent the brigade), while Paszthory’s and Siegenfeld’s Brigades consist of yet more Hungarian Insurrection regiments (I used an actual Insurrection Hussar regiment for Siegenfeld’s Brigade, but I must confess that Paszthory’s Brigade is represented by the British 15th Hussars, as I’d run out of Austrians and their white-laced blue dolmans and red shakos look vaguely similar if you squint…).

Above:  The rest of Frimont’s Reserve Corps is left to its own devices on Szabadhegy Hill.  GM Gajoli commands the First Line, consisting of the regular Hungarian IR 19 ‘Alvinczy’ and his own brigade of light infantry (mostly Grenzer, but also including some Jäger and Freikorps detachments), plus a 12pdr position battery.  GM Kleinmayrn commands the Second Line, which consists of IR 16 ‘Lusignan’, Kleinmayrn’s own grenadier brigade and another 12pdr position battery.

Above:  Prince Eugène seems to have adopted the same plan I used in our first refight, which it has to be said, is the obvious one; push hard with Grouchy’s cavalry and Grenier’s corps on the right, force the commitment of the Austrian reserves to that sector and then strike on the opposite flank with Baraguèy’s corps, the Badeners and the Italian Guard.

Above:  Guérin brings the 1st Dragoon Division up, aligning with Montbrun’s right flank.  Grouchy meanwhile, has gone back to bring up Colbert’s brigade from Nagy-Barathy.

Above:  As the French right wing advances on the Pandzsa river, Mecséry orders the three units on his right to cross over the Viczay stream to extend the corps out to the left.  However, he has already made a fatal error in failing to defend the highly-defensible riverbank!

[Concerned about the strong French artillery support, I foolishly held back and decided to engage them after they had advanced and masked their guns]

Above:  Having discussed the need to maintain a strong reserve in the centre and not to move it until ABSOLUTELY necessary, Archduke Joseph gallops off to help Mescéry on the left flank, confident that his brother John will make the right decision as commander-in-chief…

Above:  “OK lads, my brother’s gone now… The Reserve Corps will wheel to the left!  Quiiiiiick MARCH!”

Above:  Concerned by the great mass of French infantry about to overwhelm IR 27 ‘Strassoldo’ on the riverbank, Archduke John moves the reserve 12pdrs to the Chapel Knoll, from where they can dominate the likely crossing-points.  The reserve infantry meanwhile, descend from the hill and march through the vineyard to plug the gap between Kis-Megyer and Mescéry’s cavalry.

Above:  Archduke John rides over to the other side of the hill, to assess the situation on the right…

Above:  … Where absolutely nothing is happening.  Frimont moves his cavalry battery forward to engage Sahuc’s cavalry at long range, but the French horsemen merely withdraw out of range.

Above:  However, it’s all now kicking off on the left flank!

Above:  Montbrun, leading Jacquinot’s light cavalry brigade across the Pandzsa, is immediately set upon by Gosztony’s brigade of Insurrection Hussars and the regular 2nd ‘Archduke Joseph’ Hussars.

Above:  The Hungarian charge ends disastrously for Gosztony’s Insurrectio, who are routed by Montbrun’s experienced troopers.  However, the French cavalry are matched by the regular Archduke Joseph Hussars and both sides fall back to lick their wounds.  Archduke Joseph himself meanwhile, attempts to rally Gosztony’s hussars.

Above:  As Montbrun and Jacquinot fall back to reorganise, Guérin crosses over with his dragoons and south of the river, Grouchy deploys Colbert’s newly-arrived light cavalry brigade.

Above:  As Archduke Joseph (out of the picture) attempts to rally Gosztony’s Insurrection Hussars, his own regiment of regular hussars fall back to their lines.

Above:  As Kleinmayrn’s grenadiers advance to the Pandsza and start to become embroiled in a firefight with Valentin’s 23rd Légère, Gajoli’s light infantry deploy to the Viczay stream, in preparation for when the donkey-wallopers inevitably lose to the French horse.

Above:  Archduke John has returned to the Szabadhegy Hill and watches with satisfaction as his 12-pounders begin to tear holes in the French infantry.

Above:  And not a moment too soon, as IR 27 ‘Strassoldo’ is starting to come under extreme pressure on the riverbank.

Above:  Ungerhofer’s Landwehr, defending the walls of the Kis-Megyer, watch the approaching Frenchmen with increasing nervousness…

Above:  Back at Csanak, Lecchi and his Italian Royal Guards (some of whom are proxied by the French Empress’ Dragoons) wait patiently for orders.

Above:  Things are heating up on the riverbank, with Valentin’s 23rd Légère and IR 27 ‘Strassoldo’ taking particularly heavy casualties.

Above:  Colloredo, not confident that Ungerhofer’s Landwehr will be able to hold the Kis-Megyer, orders Ghilyani’s Insurrection Brigade to relieve them and assume responsibility for the defence of the farm complex.

Above:  Meanwhile on the Austrian left, Mecséry is coming under ever-increasing pressure.  Supported by the effective fire of a battery of 8-pounders, Seras’ French infantry division is able to mount a successful assault across the Pandzsa, with Roussel’s 106th Regiment successfully capturing Mecséry’s defending cavalry battery.  Hadik’s Insurrection Hussar Brigade and the regular 5th ‘Ott’ Hussars attempt to intervene, but Moreau’s 53rd Regiment manage to form square and so to everyone’s surprise, did the raw youngsters of the Provisional Légère Regiment!  The hussars are beaten off and fall back over the Viczay to lick their wounds.

Above:  On the left flank, there is another fairly indecisive cavalry clash, as Mesko’s Insurrection Hussar detachment and the 2nd ‘Archduke Joseph’ Hussars have a go at Guérin’s Dragoon Brigade.  Although casualties are only light, the Austrian hussars are forced to fall back some distance, to avoid retribution from the fresh Italian dragoons and Colbert’s light cavalry.  However, the good news is that Archduke Joseph has managed to rally Gosztony’s previously-routed hussars.

Above:  As Guérin’s French dragoon brigade redresses its ranks, his Italian dragoon brigade (on the right flank) prepares to charge.  Grouchy meanwhile, personally brings Colbert’s Brigade forward to join the action.

Above:  Prince Eugène takes a close personal interest as Seras’ squares secure the north end of the bridge.

Above:  As the Austrian Reserve Corps secures the line of the Viczay, a new crisis emerges behind them!  IR 27 ‘Strassoldo’ has broken in the face of very heavy fire from Durutte’s Division and has fled to the vineyard!  Taking advantage of this new gap in the Austrian lines, Dessaix has pushed the 62nd Regiment across to secure a bridgehead right in front of Kis-Megyer!

Above:  Concerned for the security of the 12-pounders now that the Reserve Corps have buggered off, Colloredo pulls Lutz’s Brigade of regulars back from the river, with the intention of securing the guns.  Markus’ Insurrection Brigade (of Jellacíc’s Right Wing Corps) now assumes responsibility for this section of the riverbank (not that anything is happening here).

Above:  Wasting no time and disregarding the storm of shot coming from the Austrian 12-pounders, Durutte orders Dessaix to assault the farm!

Above:  Astonishingly, the Austrian gunners panic, aim too high and completely fail to destroy the impetuous French infantry!  Ghilyani’s Insurrectio also seem to have been supplied with damp cartridges as they also fail to stop the charge against their walls!

Above:  Fate is certainly smiling on the French, as at this moment, the supporting French 8pdr battery manages to smash a breach in the walls of Kis-Megyer, demoralising the Insurrectio just as the French 62nd Regiment storms the walls!  The French seem to have the luck of the devil, as Kis-Megyer falls at the first assault.  Ungerhofer’s Landwehr jeer in derision as the Hungarians flee up the slope.

Above:  With casualties passing through 25%, Kleinmayrn pulls his grenadiers back from the riverbank and prepares to mount a counter-attack to recapture Kis-Megyer.  Gajoli pushes the fresh Hungarian IR 19 ‘Alvinczy’ forward to continue the firefight with Valentin’s remarkably persistent 23rd Légère.  However, Gajoli’s light infantry are getting the worst of their firefight with Seras’ Division.

Above:  Archduke Joseph, on the far left flank, takes personal command of two of Mecséry’s rallied units; Gosztony’s Insurrection Hussar Brigade and his own 2nd Hussar Regiment.

Above:  Having taken personal command of Gosztony’s Brigade, Archduke Joseph is immediately set upon by a marauding bunch of Italian ruffians!  However, while they might be just a bunch of Insurrection Hussars, at least they’re not Italian… The Italians soon scurry back to their French mates… OK, it wasn’t exactly a crushing victory, but it was our first success of the day, so you’ll forgive us for gloating!

Above:  With Kis-Megyer having unexpectedly fallen, Colloredo halts the march of Lutz’s Brigade and leads them personally in a charge to recapture the farm complex while the French are disordered in the aftermath of their victory.  They are joined in the assault by Ungerhofer’s Landwehr.  However, General Grenier, commander of the VI Corps has just arrived and thanks to his personal encouragement, the 62nd Regiment successfully defend the walls after a tough struggle.  Both Austrian brigades fall back to reconsider their options.

Above:  Having crossed the Pandzsa while the Austrian gunners were busy with other targets and buoyed up by the success at Kis-Megyer, Pacthod gets a rough of blood to the sabre and leads the 52nd Regiment up the slope in a frontal charge on the guns!  Durutte follows on in support with Dessaix’s 102nd Regiment.

Above:  The 52nd suffer appalling losses, but heroically charge on through the storm of canister to take the guns!  Any gunners foolish enough to hang around are cut down without mercy by the vengeful bluecoats.

Above:  Appalled by this turn of events, Kleinmayrn is swift to exact vengeance and launches his depleted grenadier brigade over the knoll, into the flank of the jubilant, yet disordered 52nd.  In order to prevent any supporting fire from Dessaix’s Brigade, Kleinmayrn also launches the fresh IR 16 ‘Lusignan’ into the 102nd Regiment.

Above:  Kleinmayrn’s counter-attack is completely successful; IR 16 ‘Lusignan’ routs the 102nd Regiment and after a surprisingly difficult struggle, the Austrian grenadiers force the 52nd back over the Pandsza, with Pacthod only escaping by the skin of his teeth!

Above:  However, the French have completed their mission and have successfully removed one of the most powerful Austrian assets, the 12-pounder artillery reserve.

Above:  On the banks of the Viczay meanwhile, things are coming apart for Gajoli’s Brigade, as both the light infantry and IR 19 ‘Alvinczy’ suffer the worst of their firefights.

Above:  Bloodied and bruised, but not yet broken, the great mass of Austrian hussars awaits the next onslaught.

Above:  Happy to oblige, Grouchy orders his cavalry forward once again.

Above:  Over on the opposite flank meanwhile, the French horse are nowhere near as keen to get stuck in…

Above:  Frimont’s men meanwhile, sit around and wonder what all the noise is…

Above:  The Guard wonder if the Viceroy has forgotten about them…

Above:  To be fair, the Viceroy has been busy personally directing the battle on the eastern flank and thus far, hasn’t put a foot wrong.

Above:  The French cavalry come on in the same old way… On the flank, Guérin’s brigade of Italian dragoons has another crack at Gosztony’s Insurrection Hussars, while alongside them, Montbrun once again leads Jacquinot’s Brigade against the 2nd ‘Archduke Joseph’ Hussars.

Above:  The result is a disaster for the Austrians!  This time the Italians rout Gosztony, sending his hussars fleeing from the field.  Archduke Joseph, caught up in the melee, falls wounded but is rescued by his aides from the unfolding disaster.  His own hussar regiment meanwhile, is completely destroyed as they heroically cover their Inhaber‘s escape.

Above:  Skilfully maintaining control of their men, Montbrun and Jacquinot wheel the brigade to hit Mesko’s Insurrection Hussar detachment in the flank!

Above:  Mesko’s hussars are completely destroyed!  However, the French cavalrymen now have a blood-lust and Montbrun and Jacquinot fail to maintain control!  The brigade raggedly charges on into Andrassy’s Insurrection Hussars, but the stalwart, busby-wearing proxy hussars from the SYW manage to break Jacquinot and send his horsemen packing!  Montbrun narrowly manages to avoid death [through gratuitous deployment of the last re-roll markers!].  However, Guérin’s Italian dragoons also don’t seem to have much self-control, as having routed Gosztony’s Insurrection Hussars off the table, they immediately follow them in a chaotic pursuit and remove themselves from the battle.

Above:  Having halted Montbrun’s rampage, Andrassy manages to control his men’s temper and maintains their position in reserve of what’s left of Mescéry’s corps.  However, things seem to be rapidly falling apart in front of them as Gajoli’s entire reserve formation (Gajoli’s light infantry brigade and IR 19 ‘Alvinczy’) is broken by the fire of the French VI Corps.

Above:  At Kis-Megyer, Colloredo leads Lutz’s infantry brigade in a second heroic charge against the walls, but this valiant effort is comprehensively smashed, with Colloredo himself numbered among the fallen!  Colloredo’s Centre Corps has now been almost completely destroyed; only Ungerhofer’s Landwehr and the divisional cavalry battery remain.

In desperation, Archduke John (now joined by his brother Joseph, who has been patched up by the surgeon) now brings Jellacíc and the bulk of his Right Wing Corps (Markus’ Insurrection Brigade, Legisfeld’s Landwehr Brigade and Legisfeld’s Brigade of Hungarian regulars) over the hill to short up the collapsing left.  However, this will surely leave the right dangerously exposed while Davidovich’s recently-arrived (though very weak) corps of Hungarian Insurrectio takes over responsibility for the right wing.

Above:  Jellacíc’s move has not gone unnoticed on the other side of the field, however.  Lauriston’s uncommitted Baden Contingent is soon on the move, aiming to establish new bridgehead west of Kis-Megyer…

Above:  Severoli’s Franco-Italian Division is also on the move, with the same objective.

Above:  Even the Italian Guard are now on the move!

Above:  Sahuc’s and Pully’s cavalry, not so much…

Above:  The earlier assault by Pacthod’s and Durutte’s Divisions across the Pandsza may have been defeated by Kleinmayrn, but all French regiments have been rallied, are still present in considerable strength and sill represent a considerable threat to Archduke John’s rapidly-dwindling left wing.

Above:  With no hope of recapturing Kis-Megyer and with the position rapidly collapsing, Archduke John orders the fresh formations (Jellacíc, Frimont, & Davidovich) and what is left of Mecséry’s cavalry (which to be fair, has only been lightly engaged, as the French are not willing to attack across the Viczay) to cover the army’s retreat as he concedes the field to the French!

In game terms, the Austrians have lost eight formed units: HR 2 ‘Archduke Joseph’, Gosztony’s Insurrection Hussar Brigade & Mesko’s Insurrection Hussar Detachment from the Left Wing, IR 27 ‘Strassoldo’, Lutz’s Infantry Brigade & Ghilyani’s Insurrection Brigade from the Centre and IR 19 ‘Alvinczy’ & Gajoli’s Light Infantry Brigade from the Reserve, as well as one cavalry battery, two position batteries, Colloredo being killed and Archduke Joseph being lightly wounded.  The French have therefore more than fulfilled the conditions for a Partial Victory.  The destruction of only three more units would result in Total Victory.

The French meanwhile, have suffered the loss of no units whatsoever!  Most of Grenier’s infantry brigades, one of Pacthod’s brigades and Jacquinot’s cavalry brigade have suffered moderate casualties, but overall the French casualties have been relatively light, unlike the Austrians, who have been almost smashed!

Above:  “So how do you think the battle’s going…?”

[Davidovich’s Corps should actually be marching along the road at this point, but I didn’t bother bringing them on!]

A quick note on models, etc:  The figures are almost all AB 15mm figures (yes, I know that the kewl kidz call them 18mm…), with the Badeners being ancient Battle Honours Bavarian figures and the proxy unit of SYW hussars being Old Glory 15s.  Most of them were painted by me, though Jase Evans painted the Italians (he left his collection with me for safe keeping when he deserted to NZ) and Gareth Beamish painted a few of the French infantry units and the Baden infantry.  The Austrian flags are by Fighting 15s, while the French, Baden and Italian flags (aside from one Fighting 15s French flag carried by the Légère) were all painted by me in the days when we couldn’t get decent printed flags!

Thanks to Dave, Andy and Gareth for a great game and a thorough trouncing!  There’ll be more Napoleonics coming soon and I also need to catch up with my painted SYW units…