The battle of Gorodeczna: old school wargaming...

[miltiades]

And so it was ... After many many years we (the Greek Old School Wargamers) were gathered together and played a Napoleonic battle. It was the famous battle of Gorodeczna adapted by Hector Haratsis ...
The ruleset was "Vive l'Empereur!" our beloved set by George Pistof. We have spent many years playing with these rules and we were all familiar with them.
So ... according to the scenario the Saxon Corps (French figures in the game) outnumbered the Russians (about 5:1). They had to  attacK and destroy the Russian army. The Russians had to hold their lines until they received the order to retreat. Then they had to get off the table as many units as possible. The Saxon Corps would be reinforced by an Austrian Corps and both they would press the attack forward.
Now let's see what happened in detail: As you can see in the picture the Saxons (I will call them "French") had to pass a river and then move in a swamp for a number of moves ... You may notice the Russian artillery ready to fire on them... 

[miltiades]

Here are some views of the battlefield. The Russians held a village and a  strong position...

[miltiades]

But their opponents were too many !!!

[miltiades]

However the French (well, the Saxons) had their own problems: they had to cross the river and then to move for at least 4 moves through marshy ground ... Not an easy task ... Here is the French point of view... (You can see the Russian team from left to right: George, Vangelis and  Hector...

[miltiades]

Yes the French moved forward !

[miltiades]

more pics:
 1.The Russian Generals discussing while their men are waiting for the orders...
 2. A bird's eye view of the battle

[miltiades]

 

[miltiades]

So... what happened next?
Well, the French (ok Saxons ) kept moving forward under heavy fire by the Russian batteries.
The French Light Cavalry on the French Left was engaged with Russian Dragoons and finally was routed (thanks to the dice of the French Commander). The French Right flank was exposed to the Russian counterattacks. But then the Austrian Corps entered ! 

[miltiades]

The Austrians charged withgreat fury (strange isn't it? ) and routed the Russian Cavalry. A Cossak unit was destroyed and another unit of Russian Cavalry retreated and routed ... the Austrian Lancers pressed the charge forward to the Russian Infantry... On the other hand the Saxons attacked on the Russian Right Flank...
It seemed that the Russian right flank would collapse.
But... no ... no ... they held their line, like true Russians. Despite the heavy casualties the Russian front remained steady !
In this picture you can see the French infantry advancing. On the French right you can see a French unit who bore the brunt of the Russian Artillery  and is now routed.(Pontoon bridges mark the fords on the river).

[miltiades]

The French had played all their cards: However the Russian center was not beaten. The Russians calmly  started to retreat, one unit after the other, while their opponents were desperately trying to break them. The Russian Cavalry was sacrificed in suicidal charges against Saxon squares, but it managed to delay them...
The Austrians were more successful with the Russian Left Wing. They managed to rout all Russian Cavalry and Austrian Uhlans charged Russian infantry and at least 2 battalions were routed.

I was actually too busy trying to Rally my battered battalions in  the center and I missed the whole action on my right. So, after eight gaming hours (  ) we ended the game and (as the Russian players admitted)  it  was a victory for the Allies ... and a FANTASTIC game for all of us !
(Thank you Hector for the wonderful scenario...)

PS these are my last pictures. The charge of the Austrian Cavalry against the Russian Infantry. Russian infantry on the hills were routed.   
However, most of their units remained steady and were able to retreat in order...

[fred]

A good looking game, thanks for sharing.

I’m glad it played out as a good battle - as looking at the starting setup, it did look like it might be a large number of turns of French infantry slogging through the terrain whilst being shot by Russian guns. But it seems there was enough activity on the flanks as well.

[DintheDin]

Dear friend, you bring me back to heroic years of our youth!
So beautiful figures on a gorgeous terrain and a bloody battle!
Massive formations and a vivid narration supported by well taken pictures, what's not to like?
Must have been a very enjoyable game! Thanks for sharing!

[schoey]

Wonderful game, with some lovely figures and all on a suitable table, thanks for sharing.

Paul

[Norm]

Enjoyed very much, thanks for posting.