La Bataille de Marengo Règlements Exclusif Pour les Règlements de l’An XXX et Les Règlements des Marie Louises Copyright © 2013 Clash of Arms Aug 1, 2013 Rules marked with an eagle or are shaded with a grey background apply only to players using the Règlements de l’An XXX. All rules herein take precedence over any rules in the series rules which they may contradict. 1.0 INTRODUCTION La Bataille de Marengo is a tactical Napoleonic game of the battle that was fought on 14 June 1800, between French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces, near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont Italy. The French overcame General de Kavalerie Melas's surprise attack near the end of the day, driving the Austrians out of Italy, and enhancing Napoleon's political position in Paris as First Consul of France in the wake of his coup d’état the previous November. Surprised by the Austrian advance toward Genoa in mid-April 1800, Bonaparte had hastily led his army over the Alps in mid-May and reached Milan on 2 June. After cutting Melas’s line of communications by crossing the river Po and Général de Division Lannes defeating Feldmarschall Leutnant Ott’s rearguard at Montebello on 9 June, the French closed in on the Austrian army, which had massed in Alessandria. Général de Division Victor lauched a spoiling attack on the evening of the 13th in order to pin another assumed Austrian rearguard under Feldmarschall Leutnant O'Reilly in position, but after taking over 250 casulaties O'Reilly gave up Marengo and Pedro-Bono Farms and retired to the fortified bridgehead. Deceived by a local double agent, Bonaparte had dispatched large forces to the north and south, as the Austrians launched their surprise attack on 14 June against the main French army under Général de Division Louis Alexandre Berthier. Initially, the Austrian’s two assaults across the Fontanone stream near Marengo village were repelled, allowing Général de Division Jean Lannes to reinforce the French right. Bonaparte finally realised the true position and issued orders at 11:00am to recall the detachments under Générals de Division Desaix and Moncey, while moving his Reserve forward. On the Austrian left, Ott’s column had taken Castel Ceriolo, and its advance guard moved south to attack Lannes’s flank. Melas renewed the main assault and the Austrians eventually broke the central French position. By 2:30 pm the French were withdrawing and Austrian dragons seized the Marengo farm. Bonaparte had by then arrived with the Reserve, as Victor and Lannes began to fall back on the main vine belts. Knowing Desaix was approaching, Bonaparte was anxious about a column of Ott’s soldiers marching from the north, so he deployed his Consular Guard infantry to delay it. The French withdrew steadily eastward toward San Giuliano Vecchio as the Austrians slowly formed columns to follow them in line with Ott’s advance in the northern sector. Desaix’s arrival around 5:30 pm stabilised the French position as the 9ème Légère delayed the Austrian advance down the main road and the rest of the army re-formed north of Cascina Grossa. As the pursuing Austrian troops arrived, a mix of musketry and artillery fire concealed a surprise flank attack of Général de Brigade François Étienne de Kellermann’s heavy cavalry, which threw the Austrian pursuit into disordered flight back into Alessandria, with about 9,400 killed, wounded, or captured. The French casualties were considerably fewer, but included Desaix. The whole French force chased after the Austrians to seal the political victory that secured Bonaparte’s grip on power after the coup. 2.0 RULES QUESTIONS Check the La Bataille forum at Consimworld: http://www.consimworld.com. 3.0 GAME COMPONENTS A complete game of La Bataille de Marengo includes the following components: 1. One 34” x 22” map 2. A lot of counters 3. Two Series Rules books (Règlements de l’An XXX, et la Règlements des Maries Louises) 4. One Exclusive Rules Book 5. Charts and tables 6. Two organizational displays 7. Game Turn Record Track 8. Terrain Effects Chart 3.1 Change of Scale La Bataille Marengo is at a scale of 140m per hex and 30 minutes per turn. This affects mainly the default stacking values. 4.0 TERRAIN 4.1 Rivers and Streams The Bormida is impassable to all troops unless on a road/bridge. 4.1.1 All other Streams are drainage ditches and were difficult to cross by formed troops. Formed infantry and cavalry crossing stream are disordered. Artillery may only cross using bridges. 4.1.2 Bridges: Combat units may Assault or Charge across a bridge, but the following conditions apply. The assaulting unit may not make an Offensive Fire Attack during the Assault Procedure. Only one infantry battalion/regiment or cavalry regiment may Assault or Charge across a bridge hexside per turn. La Bataille de Marengo Infantry must be in Column (Battalion Masse) when assaulting across a bridge. Cavalry units must be in Column in order to Charge across a bridge. Infantry subtracts 6 from its Roll to Close dice roll, when assaulting across a bridge. 1 Cavalry units multiply their Mêlée Value by /3 as if the cavalry was attacking into General Order. 4.2 Visibility and Artillery Ricochet Note: Across most of the battlefield the corn in the fields was nearly 6ft high, and in between there were vineyards where vines had been trained over frames, and there were thick hedges bordering the roads. The maximum range of all artillery fire is 4 hexes. Artillery Ricochet may go beyond the 4 hexes: NOTE: Artillery Ricochet only applies to the Règlements de l’An XXX. 4.3 Slopes There are no significant slopes on the battlefield. 4.4 Bridgehead Field Fortifications The Austrians had build field fortifications to protect their pontoon bridges across the Bormida. Formed infrantry crossing the fortications are disordered. Cavalry and Artillery may only cross the fortifications via roads. Austrian commanders within the Bridgehead are always in command, as are the two 12pdr batteries of position. Austrian units on the road may freely pass through artillery batteries of position (on the wall). 4.5 General Order The following terrain requires formed units to enter General Order when entering: Town / Farmette Brush 4.5.1 Infantry units in farmette hexes have all-round facing. 4.6 Depots French: The town of San Giuliano Vecchio Austrian: The Bridgehead. 4.7 Terrain and Artillery Ricochet Artillery fire which targets the following hexes terminates in them. Ricochet fire may bounce into, but not through the following hexes. Town / Farmette hexes Brush hexes Bridgehead fortification hexes. NOTE: Artillery Ricochet only applies to the Règlements de l’An XXX. 4.8 Borimida Bridge Only 36 increments may cross per turn. Artillery increments count as 3 increments. Increments in both directions count against the total. Surrendered French count as double increments (with their guards). 5.0 COMMAND The Organization and Display Charts reveal the command structure of the armies. Refer to them as necessary. 5.1 French Command Points: The French receive CP’s for Bonaparte, Desaix, Lannes, Moncey, Murat, Victor when they are on the battlefield Marmot and Bessières and their brigades are always in command. The Consul Garde Infantry may only be commanded by Bonaparte. MU Size: The largest MU which the French may create is an Infantry Corps (with attached cavalry brigade) or Cavalry Division Leader Casualties: o If Napoleon is killed Louis Alexandre Berthier replaces him. o If Murat is killed Kellerman replaces him. Artillery Leaders of Special Ability: Napoleon, Marmot. o Marmot’s Brigrade may contain any artillery batteries attached from any other formations. Cavalry Leaders of Special Ability: Murat, Kellerman o Kellerman may act as a Division commander and attach upto two other cavalry brigdes to his. NOTE: Special Abilities only applies to the Règlements de l’An XXX. Any French leader in a town / farm may generate a local MU and may place his subordinate formations in command. 5.2 French Bivouac At the start the French are in bivouac, they are activated as soon as:- Any Austrian unit comes within 2 hexes of a French one. More than one Austrian Brigade leaves road column. Any Austrian unit crosses the Fontanone Creek La Bataille de Marengo Any unit fires (musket or artillery) They are deployed in disordered column, no more than one combat unit per hex. To change formation takes 2 MP. 5.3 Austrians Command Points: The Austrians receive CP’s for Melas, Ott & O’Reilly. o Kaim generates a CP when he takes over from Melas (but no longer acts as a Division commander) Note 1: Melas was 71 at the time of Marengo, and after an early start, and a wound sustained leading a cavalry charge, left the battlefield at around 2pm leaving his subordinates in charge. Note 2: Melas led two attacks one of Latterman’s Grenadiers and one of the Kaiser Licht Dragons. Starting at 8am, Melas roles every turn on the Melas Exhaustion Table, when he has accumulated 24 exhaution points he retires to Allesandria for a well deserved afternoon nap. Melas Exhaustion Table Die Roll Exhaustion Die Roll Exhaustion 1 0 4 3 2 1 5 3 3 2 6 3 1 1. Melas must take an infantry or cavalry brigade and move to melee the French. He accumulates 3 Exhaustion Points per turn until this is done. MU Size: The largest MU the Austrians may create is a Division of Infantry (including attached cavalry brigades) or Brigade of Reserve Cavalry Leader Casualties: If Melas is killed, or takes an afternoon nap, Kaim replaces him, and gives up being a Division leader.