La Bataille De Schöngrabern
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La Bataille de Schöngrabern La Bataille de Schöngrabern Règlements Exclusif Pour les Règlements de l’An XXX et Les Règlements des Marie Louises V1.5 La Bataille de Schöngrabern 2 Copyright © 2016 Martial Enterprises V1.4 April 2016 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 Schöngrabern is a tactical Napoleonic game of Maréchal Murat’s battle of the 16th November 1805 with the Romanov rearguard under Prince Bageration. Murat had negociated an armistice with the Russians, to which the Russians easily agreed since the only thing that Kutuzov wanted was time to make his juncture with Buxhowden When Napoleon learned of the brash Murat’s attempt at diplomacy rather than a vigorous pursuit of the Russian forces in front of him, he was furious…as preserved in Napoleon’s correspondence and revealed in a letter to his brother-in-law,… “I cannot find words to express my displeasure. You only command my vanguard and have no right to agree to an armistice without my orders. You will cost me the fruits of a campaign. End the armistice at once, and attack the enemy. Inform him that the general who has signed this has no power to make it, that only the Russian Emperor has the right, and that when the Russian Emperor ratifies this agreement, I will also ratify it. But it is only a ruse. March, destroy the Russian army. You are in a position to take his baggage and artillery.” Murat, now with the direct orders of Napoleon in hand, begins to move his command to attack. He has 30,000 troops of all arms and begins the battle from the village of Schöngrabern in lower Austria between 4 pm and 5 pm on November 16. The reports from the battle remain sketchy, but it does appear Murat wanted to flank the Russians, who were assembled around Gründ, just east of the French, with around 8,000 mixed arms troops. As Murat begins his flanking move to the left of their starting positions in Schöngrabern, Russian artillery from the heights west of Gründ fired into the French-held village, setting the church and around 60 homes ablaze. The French assault was stymied in large part due to extensive vineyards just east of the town that cover most of the terrain between Schöngrabern and Gründ. The effect of the vineyards was to limit substantially the coordinated French attacks. The attacks from Lannes on the right and Soult on the left started and stopped. The Russian fire was withering and their defense was fanatical in an evening when the light was gone quickly. Murat, who was a master at directing cavalry, was far less capable when providing infantry with orders. His attacks at Schoengrabern, like elsewhere where he commanded infantry, would start and stop, and would prove not very effective. Then General Nicolas Oudinot along with his Grenadiers was able to attack the Russian center. General Thomas-Alexandre Dumas (father of the famous French writer Alexandre Dumas) in his recollection of the battle described that the brave Oudinot had reached pistol range of the Russian leading his attack. However, Oudinot was seriously wounded with a bullet to the thigh. The fallen Oudinot’s attack appears to have convinced Bagration that the Russian position was untenable and he broke off the six-hour long battle. After the battle, Napoleon assigned General Gerard Duroc to take over command of Oudinot’s grenadiers, and he led them with great success at Austerlitz. The Russians had fought brilliantly. Even though they lost between 3000 and 4000 troops, Bagration’s delaying tactics had allowed Kutuzov to slip away from Napoleon and join Buxhowden in Brunn, Moravia on November 18. The combined Russian armies, including Bagration’s battered command, would now exceed the size of Napoleon’s forces in the weeks before Austerlitz. 4.1.1 Cavalry Cavalry must be in skirmish order or in general order. 2.0 RULES QUESTIONS Only three increments are available from each regiment for Check the La Bataille forum at Consimworld: melee from a single hex. http://www.consimworld.com. There are no charges in the vineyard. Cavalry may charge into the vineyard. The cavalry regiment is subject to the movement costs and 3.0 GAME COMPONENTS three increments per regiment for melee calculations. A complete game of La Bataille de Schöngrabern includes the The tirallieur a cheval rules with regards to slowing infantry following components: movement do not apply in the vineyard. 1. Two 17” x 11” maps 4.1.2 Infantry 2. One hundred counters Infantry is in general order or skirmish order. No other 3. Two Series Rules book (Règlements de l’An XXX, et la formations are possible. Règlements des Maries Louises) No regiments may enter or move through the vineyard, only 4. One Exclusive Rules Books battalions. 5. Charts and tables Infantry on the path moves at 2MP per hex, no bonus. 6. Four organizational displays Only three increments per battalion per hex are used for all 7. Game Turn Record Track fire and melee calculations. 8. Terrain Effects Chart Units in General order use the value printed on the counter. 3.1 Extra Counters Skirmishers use up to three factors per hex. Melee factors will be a fraction of the total while in the Chef de bataillon Fruchard can be represented by a counter with all vineyard. blank values; his only purpose is to command the Artillerie Brigade. 4.1.3 Artillery Movement only on the path and must be in march order, no 4.0 TERRAIN bonus. May not unlimber on the path. No prolonging. 4.1 Vineyard (Weintrauben) One battery per hex stacking on the path. If retreated or routed or disordered off the path while in the Note: The vineyard is planted in neat rows to vineyard, they are eliminated. facilitate the growing, care and harvesting of 4.1.4 Combat a la Melee the grapes. As such, travel across rows is difficult for any formation and the paths Combat is based on a maximum of three increments per through the vineyard are narrow. Quickly infantry battalion or cavalry regiment. crossing rows of vines is difficult. 4.1.5 Line of sight La Bataille de Schöngrabern 3 The vineyard does not block line of sight. Unlimbered 5.0 COMMAND artillery at the top of slope hexside has line of sight anywhere into the vineyard. The Organization and Display Charts reveal the command structure 4.2 Streams of the armies. Refer to them as necessary. Note: The temperatures were freezing at this time but the slopes of 5.1 French the stream banks are steep and slick. 5.1.1 Command Points: The French receive one Command Point Thus the reason for a +1 MP to cross except at a ford. for Murat. 4.3 Fords 5.1.2 MU Size: The largest MU which the French may createif Muart is:- Fords act as clear terrain for all purposes. Units moving across a ford On-map: a Corps of the whole Avant garde. pay no additional movement point costs to do so. Off-map, an Infantry Division - with its attached artillerie Units that melee across a ford calculate the melee values the same batterie(s), Cavalrie Brigade or the Atillerie Brigade. as if they were attacking up a slope. 5.1.3 Leader Casualties: The following leaders may not be 4.4 Villages and Hamlets replaced: Murat, ADC, Fruchard, Legrand, Oudinot and Suchet. Sebastini may be replaced by Murat’s ADC. A single hex by itself is considered a Hamlet. All other hexes which If Fruchard is killed all the French batteries move to return to their contain buildings are considered villages. divisions. 4.5 General Order Fruchard - +0 The following terrain requires formed units to enter General Order 0 - 10 - - when entering: 5.1.4 Leaders of Special Ability: Pine Forest Artillery: None Vineyards Cavalry: None Hamlets 5.1.5 Light Cavalry Leaders: The following light cavalry leaders Villages may roll for initiative to form their own MU. 4.6 Depots None, Sebastiani waits for orders from Murat. 5.1.6 Where is Murat? Each turn a die is rolled before the 4.6.1 French: Their Division’s / Brigade’s entry hex (S, Road, L) command phase and if Murat is:- 4.6.2 Coalition: Guntersdorf (when capture the road off map) off-map and the roll is 1-3 then he enters the map. 4.7 Terrain and Artillery Ricochet on-map and the roll is 1-3 then he is removed from the map. Artillery fire which targets the following hexes terminates in them. 5.2 Coalition Ricochet fire may bounce into, but not through the following hexes. 5.2.1 Command Points: The Russians may receive One Command Hamlets Point for Prince Bagration for a total of 1 Command Points. Villages If Wintzingerode is stacked with Bagration, Bagration’s command NOTE: Artillery Ricochet only applies to the Règlements de l’An span increases to 15. XXX. If Bagration leaves the field then Wintzingerode takes over 4.7.1 Slopes and Artillery Ricochet: Artillery Ricochet terminates command, Wintzingerode’s command span is 6. where it meets an upslope. Where Artillery Ricochet meets a down 5.2.2 MU Size: The largest MU the Coalition may form is an Army. slope hexside, the slopes creates a one hex shadow over which the 5.2.3 Leader Casualties: The following leaders may not be shot will pass with no effect before continuing along the shot path.