Napoleonic Batrep - The Battle of Bruck auf der Leitha 1809

 

At last! A game at Reject HQ!!!!

On Sunday Postie put on a game for 4 Rejects, BigLee, Surj, Smiffy and myself.

Unfortunately Smiffy forgot so never turned up!!

Now we haven't gamed in the shed since last March, how the hell could he forget???

Smiffy becomes the first Reject this year to make it onto "The Wall of Shame", just for being a tit!

The game was mega and could really have done with three a side, Postie picked me to play on my own, I had the choice of sides, without seeing the table or OOB. I chose the Austrians, hoping they'd be in defence....

OOB

French - IV Corp - Marchal Massena (Surj & Lee) 
1st Division - Legrand

       1st Battalion - 26th Legere & 18th Line and Light Gun

       2nd Battalion - 1st Baden Grossherzog, 2nd Baden Erbgrossherzog, Baden Jagers & Light gun

2nd Division - Carra St Cyr

       3rd Battalion - 24th Legare (elite)       

       4th Battalion - 4th Line, 46th Line and Light Gun

       5th Battalion - Hesse - Darmstadt  - Leib-Garde, Leib Garde Fusiliers, Leib Rgt, 1st Leib Fusiliers & Light Gun

3rd Division - Molitov

       6th Battalion - 2nd Line, 16th Line & Light Gun

       7th Battalion - 37th Line, 67th Line & Light Gun   

4th Division - Boudet

       8th Battalion - 3rd Legere (Elite) & Heavy Gun

       9th Battalion - 56th Line & 93rd Line and Light Gun

5th Light Cavalry Division - Lasalle 

       10th Battalion - 13th & 24th Chasseurs a Cheval Line & Horse Artillery

       11th Battalion - 8th Hussars & 16th Chasseurs a Cheval

       12th Baden Light Dragoons, Hesse-Darmstadt Chevau-Leger Rgt

(Reserves - Didn't Arrive: 1st Heavy Cavalry Division & Imperial (Young) Guard)

Austrians - III Corp - Kolowrat (Ray)

1st Division - Vukassovich

       1st Battalion - Lobkowitz Jagers, 2nd Schwartzenberg Uhlans & Horse Artillery

       2nd Battalion - 7th Schroder, 56th Wenzel Colleredo & Light Gun

       3rd Battalion - Prague Landwehr, 1st Beraun Landwehr, 2nd Beraun Landwehr & Light Gun

2nd Division - St Julien

       4th Battalion - 1st Kaiser, 12th Manfredini, 23rd Wurzburg & Light Gun

       5th Battalion - 20th Kaunitz, 38th Wurttemberg & Light Gun

3rd Division - Kotlulinsky

       6th Battalion - 39th Duka, 60th Gyular & Light Gun

       7th Battalion - 31st Benjovszky, 51st Splenyr, 3rd/4th Vienna Vol, 3rd Moravian Vol & lt Gun

       8th Battalion - 8th Kienmayer Hussars, 6th Grenz Rgt, 7th Grenz Rgt

2nd Combined Cavalry Division - Schwarzenberg

       12th Battalion - 6th Rosenberg Chevaulegers, 3rd Knesevich Dragoons (Elite)

       13th Battalion - 6th Blankenstein Hussars, 3rd O'Reilly Chavaulegers & Horse Artillery

Reserves (Arrived Late) Grenadier Division - Steyier

       14th Battalion - Hahn, Hromada, Legrand, Demontant & Berger Rgts (Elite)

(Reserves - Didn't Arrive: 1st Heavy Cavalry Division)

The whole battlefield

This is a "What if" battle and is set the day before Wagram and named after the small village of Bruck auf der Leitha.

The Austrian left and centre

Centre right

and left.

Lee's French Cavalry Brigade

Two Austrian Heavy guns, in the centre of the table, these would play a big part in the game.

Our Cavalry faced each other, all 4 units charged!

My two heavy guns fire! Taking first blood!

In the first melee, my Elite Cuirassiers were smashed by I gotta say some unbelievable dice from BigLee. 7 out of 8 kills!

So back I went!

The next melee was a draw and I managed to knock back Lee's other two units.

What turned out to be my best Cavalry unit of the day the 3rd O'Reilly Chevaulegers.

The blue marker means they've captured a flag. Top left the French red marker means they've routed.

Next turn, all the Cavalry managed to charge again.

Except my Cuirassiers on the left. But could they survive?

The French infantry (top left) are massing and moving forward.

While on my left, Surj also advances. The French were unaware that my 3 columns at the back were all Landwehr. So I was pretty weak.

I krpt most of my infantry in Attack column, mainly for ease of movement and just incase I could sneak in a charge of my own.

Hmm? Where's my cavalry gone?

My first bit of luck, The heavy guns fired again taking a few casualties off of the French columns, but Surj had their Brigade leader a little too close, so he had to test to see if he had become a casualty.

He was blown from his horse and killed, this then forced a brigade check, which Surj promptly failed!! 

The whole brigade were pushed back 12 inches!

That gave me a lot of breathing room.

My left, the 2nd Schwartzenberg Uhlans had nowhere to go, so they just got in the way!

I was very weak in the centre, I kept three columns off the hill deliberately to tempt Surj to attack.

I had a secret surprise waiting for him????

This isn't looking good. My cavalry have gone!

Austrian columns waiting for a chance.

Surj's victorious 13th Chasseurs

On my far right, my centre Grenzer unit the 6th get knocked back.

Lee charges the Austrian colomn! They are pushed back, and the Chasseurs carry their charge on again.

 But they couldn't repeat their earlier victory and are routed in melee.

On turn 4 I bought out my reserve, 5 units of Austrian Grenadiers, in the centre, behind the weak hill.

I could have bought these on at any time during the game. It was almost a shame the the main French assault on the hill had stalled by then.

The left still looked very dangerous for me. After his knock back in the centre it looks like he's switching his attack here.

Surj moving diagonally over to my left.

I finally managed to get myself into a decent position on the hill, centre right. This halted Sur and Lee's attack.

On the left, I moved back.

Mega table!

Now it looks like I'm attacking

As I move up in column onto the hill.

I for one wouldn't want to attack that hill.

Nor would I want to attack that hill either?

Now I'd seen off the French cavalry, I looked pretty strong here as well.

We started the game at 10 o'clock and had been playing for over 10 hours. It was 8.30 and we could play no more. All of our dinners were either in the bin or in the dog, BigLee, was a dribbling wreck sitting in the corner.

As there was so much more left in the game, we shook hands and agreed on a gentleman's draw.

So there you have it, our first game of the year (in bloody July!) but, what a game it was.

Well done Postie and well done to the French.