The Battle of Austerlitz
Having become somewhat frustrated with the slowness of my painting and progress towards my unrealistic painting goals lately, I decided to take a break from this and set up a solo game in the hope that this would both provide me with some enjoyment and relaxation and also kick start my enthusiasm and spur me on to complete unfinished projects once again.
I’ve been hankering to play a large game again recently and with my children at University the spare bedrooms meant that if I could be bothered to move some furniture, I could set up a 12 x5 table and leave it in place and play a turn or two over several days or even weeks
Thumbing through Dave Brown’s Napoleonic Scenarios No3 booklet I found the perfect solution in the scenarios presenting part of the Battle of Austerlitz in 3 parts. These were
• Part 1 : The attack on the Pratzaberg
• Part 2 : Attack on Stare-Vinohrady
• Part 3 : The attack of the Russian Guard
Delighted to find that all 3 scenarios could be fought as one large game on a 12 foot table I set about organising my figures and preparing roster sheets. Then I thought it would be pretty good if I could combine the game with a write up and photo shoot. So here we go
The table:
The Pratzaberg side
The Stare-Vinohrady side
Here are some of the combatants
At the time of writing I’m through to turn 12 and of course am using Dave Brown’s GdeB rules
1. Attack on the Pratzaberg depicts St Hilaire’s elite division ( Brigades Morand, Thiebault and Were) in its attack on the southernmost high point the Pratzenberg involving 12 battalions and 2 gun batteries against Kollowrath’s poor troops made up from Kaiminski’s Russian Brigade and Jurzik’s and Weyrother’s Austrian Brigades. The allied force is composed of 14 smaller battalions and 3 batteries about half of which are conscripts
2. In the attack on Stare-Vinohrady Vandamme’s veteran division (Schiner, Ferray, Candas and Were -12 battalions & 4 guns) attacks the more northern heights held by Miloradovich’s depleted Russian regiments (Brigades Repininski and Berg) and Rotturmund’s Austrian troops (12 battalions & several small gun batteries)
3. The third scenario introduces the French reinforcements lead by Drouet ( Werle & Frere) another 8 battalions & 1 battery along with Napoleon himself and The Chasseur a Cheval and Grenadier a Cheval Regiments of the Imperial Guard. Opposing them is the Russian Imperial Guard led by Constantine and comprising of 10 battalions and 2 batteries (Brigades Depreradovich I and Labanov) along with the Russian Guard cavalry of Depreradovich II and Jankovich.
Clear as mud?
Here are a few pictures at the start of the battle that might illustrate it a little more clearly before any reinforcements have arrived. This is how the battlefield looks from the French left flank
The village of Pratze is roughly in the middle of the table, the battle for Pratzen heights is on the right and that for Stare-Vinohrady is on the left. Reinforcements will eventually arrive in the middle of the table
Turn 1:
The French advance with engage orders all along the front
The allies are on hold orders but Kaminski’s Russian Brigade starts the marching off the Pratzen heights towards the French lines and fails to change its order from move to hold
Turn 2:
Pratzen
Kaminski reverts to hold orders and hurriedly deploys to meet the French whilst Morand sends out a light battalion in skirmish order
SV
Vandamme advances through the mist on the waiting Allies, his limbered artillery takes the first casualties from the Austrian battery but passes its formation test
Turn 3:
The allies win the initiative again, not a lot happens, Were’s Brigade arrives behind the village of Pratzen
Turn 4:
Pratzen
Were’s Brigade marches towards Pratzen
St Hilaire’s division engages Kaminski’s brigade who deploys in line (historical Brigade Formation rule applies to allies) whist beginning to come under artillery fire
SV
The French come on in the same old way
Turn 5:
Pratzen
Finally Weyrother’s Austrians (mainly conscripts) receive a change of orders and advance over the heights to support Kaminski
The French artillery are deployed and already in canister range
SV
The 2nd 46th Ligne gives the Smolensk battalion a bit of hot musket fire and causes 5 casualties but takes quite a few back whilst the 1st 46th Ligne causes 25% casualties on another of the Smolensk battalions
Meanwhile the 24th Léger in open order start to drive away the small Austrian artillery battery deployed ahead of Stare-Vinohrady
Things aren’t all bad for the Austrians though as two of the 6 battalions of the Salzburg IR23 regiment cause the 1/4th Ligne to falter under withering fire 9not bad for a 2nd class regiment in their opening volleys)
Turn 6:
Things are hotting up a bit now
Pratzen
The Russian 6 gun battery has taken enough casualties by now to lose a gun model but the double six hit from the 8pdr French battery now causes it to retire whist its exploding caisson mortally wounds Kaminski. The Russians will need to despatch an ADC to take over the command of the brigade
The 2/14th Ligne give the Ryzan regiment a bloody nose with a volley causing 5 casualties but the other Ryzan battalion are fortunate that poor dice in a 1st shot from the elite 12pdr French battery means they are not rendered completely insensible by fire! And they are lucky only to take 2 casualties
With its artillery in disarray and a battalion in rout the dearly departed Kaminski’s Brigade must take a brigade moral test with its general killed, but wait for it throws a double six and stands its ground!
SV
Repininski’s brigade is in trouble with a faltering Smolensk battalion being charged by the 2/57th Ligne and it routs and loses its battalion gun.
On the French left flank though a battalion of the Salzburg IR23 regiment follow up its musketry by charging the faltering 1/4th Ligne who retire before contact is made and the Austrians look to be comfortable holding this part of the line
Turn 7:
Both sides see the arrival of reinforcements with Werle’s brigade arriving on the French side and the infantry of the Russian Guard arriving in the Russian centre whilst the remainder of the Russians are still off table but moving laterally. There are musketry duels along the length of the battlefield but in general the French usually seem to get the better of it
At Pratzen the large Russian battery reforms but at the SV table a battalion of the Smolensk regiment finally disperses and the weight of its casualties
Turn 8:
Much of the same really, the French continue to press forward a there is a general exchange of musket fire along the line. The Austrian C in C manages to encourage Jurczik’s brigade to advance and engage the advancing French but for the most part, the French brigadiers are chomping at the bit but because they have generally been ordered to engage are finding it impossible to let loose their columns and charge home as they would really like and so remain patient
Drouet’s infantry arrives this turn but is held in reserve around Pratze to await unfolding events
Turn 9:
There is now generally more activity and urgency on the part of the French
Pratzen
The assaults finally begin and Thiebault is ordered to assault rather than engage
The 1/36th Ligne charge the Ryzan regiment who fail to stop the charge with musket fire and they rout after failing to stop the charge of the Frenchmen, the 2nd Ryzan regiment nearby also decides discretion is the better part of valour and retreat whilst the Ryzan Grenadiers show signs of indecision and are left faltering ahead of the advancing Frenchmen
SV
The 1st& 2nd 24th Léger in open order have gradually gained the upper hand over the conscripts of the Kaunitz IR 20 regiment and Ausperg IR 24 regiment in the vineyards below Stare-Vinohrady and the former’s morale finally gives way and is forced to retreat towards the Austrian baseline through the vines and takes shelter behind SV. This gallant brigade of conscripts somehow stands in the face of its better trained French opponents but the persistent musketry is gradually whittling away at its strength and its small battalions find it almost impossible to cause their opponent similar distress
Having lost its sister battalion the remaining Smolensk regiment can no longer hold back the advancing French and buckles under the weight of fire, and though having lost 50% of its strength is forced to leave the field though its ensuing morale throw sees it leave the field of battle not in rout but with honour
Turns 10 & 11:
Pratzen
Remember the faltering Ryzan Grenadiers, they are now charged by the 2/14th
Line and are clearly in dire straits until they throw a double six halting the French in their tracks so that they falter and to add insult to injury narrowly miss ..... but kill his ADC
SV
Ever gallant and holding the Allied right flank the Salzburg IR23 regiment halt and retire the charging 1/4th Ligne by inflicting 6 casualties
Turn 12:
Pratzen
The 2/36th Ligne finally clear away the faltering Ryzan grenadiers when they charge in column bundling the retreating grenadiers into the conscripts of the Mitrowsky IR 40 behind them. This will have dire consequences for the unformed hapless Austrians.
It’s clear by now that command of Kaminski’s brigade is a poisoned chalice as the replacing
ADC is lightly wounded by skirmisher fire and forced to retire behind the main line for treatment. In general things aren’t going too well for the Russians as the battery that returned to the line is reduced to 50% casualties by the elite French artillery
SV
Seeking to gain the upper hand 2 battalions of the Salzburg follow up their exploits with the musket and attempt to charge the faltering 1/4th Ligne. Somehow despite receiving minimal casualties as they prepare to close the Austrians have second thoughts and cannot be
persuaded to close and make contact
Finally in the vineyards the 2/24th Léger overcome the Auersperg IR 24 regiment causing 4 figure casualties and wounding the Brigade general
Turn 13:
Pratzen
Mitrowsky’s regiment now meets its end, unformed and charged by the 2/14th Ligne in column it cannot do anything but rout whilst alongside it the remaining Austrian artillery bear the brunt of French counter battery fire with canister (D12 +6 +1 -2 =7 casualties)
The only Allied guns now remaining on the Pratzen are 3pdrs whilst Weyrother becomes the 2nd allied general to get his horse shot from under him.
SV
The Russians commit some reserves as the Grenadiers march towards Stare-Vinohrady as the remainder advance in the centre to support Berg’s brigade and engage Candas’ advancing French whilst Vandamme prepares to assault Stare-Vinohrad .
Consequently Ferrey is finally ordered to assault and the 2/14th Ligne clear the vineyards approaching the town
The resultant exchanges see the Auersperg regiment rout and another Austrian battery leave the field
The morale phase proves to be decisive this turn and the allies really begin to suffer even though the remaining Ryzan battalions rally Wetrother’s brigade with 2 units retreating and another routing breaks and leaves a gaping hole on the Pratzen heights
To be continued....