DANZIG (1807) Battle Report
The scenario may be called a "siege," but this battle is surprisingly fluid and exciting. The balance of forces is almost even, though the French have the edge in quality. The burden of effort falls upon the Russians to make contact with the Prussian garrison inside the Danzig fortress. To do this, it is absolutely imperative that the Russians strike as swiftly as possible. To find out if the Russians broke the siege of Danzig in our scenario, read on:
3:30pm: Leaving the coastal fort of Weichselmunde in march columns, General Kamensky rapidly secures the wooded heights overlooking the Vistula River. In reaction to this maneuver, the French begin concentrating their scattered divisions in the direction of the Vistula. [Left, the fortress of Danzig, bristling with Prussian artillery] 4:00pm: A major confrontation takes shape across the forested ridgeline, with Kamensky's Russian infantry trading musketry with Michaud's division. On the opposite bank of the Vistula, a lone Russian infantry brigade boldly advances to block the movement of Gardanne's division. |
4:30pm: The wooded ridge is now thick with smoke as Kamensky's infantry appear to gain an edge in the ferocious firefight. Cleverly, Kamensky also sends a small infantry detachment to skirt around the base of the heights, outflanking the French defensive line--no doubt hoping to make contact with the Prussian garrison at Danzig.
5:00pm: All uncommitted French divisions are marching directly for Holm Island, but they cannot concentrate quickly enough to reinforce the dire situation along the heights north of the Vistula. Kamensky's Russians have not achieved a decisive advantage, but they are steadily driving Michaud's division off the summit of the ridgeline. And worst of all for the French, Kamensky's advance guard beats off a French diversionary attack and continues racing ahead toward Danzig.
On the opposite bank of the Vistula, the outnumbered Russians are defying the odds by holding back Gardanne's entire division. These French reinforcments are desperately needed on the other side of Holm Island! [Below, Russian and French lines clash along the wooded heights]
5:00pm: All uncommitted French divisions are marching directly for Holm Island, but they cannot concentrate quickly enough to reinforce the dire situation along the heights north of the Vistula. Kamensky's Russians have not achieved a decisive advantage, but they are steadily driving Michaud's division off the summit of the ridgeline. And worst of all for the French, Kamensky's advance guard beats off a French diversionary attack and continues racing ahead toward Danzig.
On the opposite bank of the Vistula, the outnumbered Russians are defying the odds by holding back Gardanne's entire division. These French reinforcments are desperately needed on the other side of Holm Island! [Below, Russian and French lines clash along the wooded heights]
5:30pm: Contact is made! Kamensky's advance guard reaches the outskirts of Danzig, and General Kalkreuth does not hesitate to march his entire garrison out of the fortress. But while the Prussians muster outside the city walls, the battle begins to swing inexorably into the favor of the French. Kamensky's division has stretched itself too thinly, and French reinforcments are now swarming across Holm Island to counter-attack the forested heights.
6:00pm: After hours of indecisive combat, Gardanne's division finally drives the Russians back toward their entrenchments at Weichselmunde. On the opposite bank of the Vistula River, the remainder of Kamensky's exhausted division engages the French in hand-to-hand combat. Unlike the French, however, Kamensky does not have fresh troops to commit to the swirling melee.
Closer to Danzig, a frustrating dilemma faces the Prussians. The nearest bridge over the Vistula is guarded by a stout brigade of French infantry, and although the Prussians enjoy overwhelming numbers, they cannot press their advantage at such a narrow bottleneck. Lusting for some action elsewhere, several thousand local militia charge headlong into Dombrowski's crack Polish legion, and the outcome is a tragic massacre. Over 3,000 militia are cut down in an instant....
6:30pm: Though the bulk of the Prussians are still eager for battle, General Kamensky and Marshal Lefebvre agree to a ceasefire. The battered Russians can longer wait for their Prussian allies to cross the Vistula, and Kamensky's men retire to Weichselmunde. Tactically, the battle has ended in a minor French victory, but strategically Danzig is now doomed to surrender. Without control of Holm Island, it is only a matter of time until the city will be forced into submission.
6:00pm: After hours of indecisive combat, Gardanne's division finally drives the Russians back toward their entrenchments at Weichselmunde. On the opposite bank of the Vistula River, the remainder of Kamensky's exhausted division engages the French in hand-to-hand combat. Unlike the French, however, Kamensky does not have fresh troops to commit to the swirling melee.
Closer to Danzig, a frustrating dilemma faces the Prussians. The nearest bridge over the Vistula is guarded by a stout brigade of French infantry, and although the Prussians enjoy overwhelming numbers, they cannot press their advantage at such a narrow bottleneck. Lusting for some action elsewhere, several thousand local militia charge headlong into Dombrowski's crack Polish legion, and the outcome is a tragic massacre. Over 3,000 militia are cut down in an instant....
6:30pm: Though the bulk of the Prussians are still eager for battle, General Kamensky and Marshal Lefebvre agree to a ceasefire. The battered Russians can longer wait for their Prussian allies to cross the Vistula, and Kamensky's men retire to Weichselmunde. Tactically, the battle has ended in a minor French victory, but strategically Danzig is now doomed to surrender. Without control of Holm Island, it is only a matter of time until the city will be forced into submission.
Victory Objectives:The French totally controlled Holm Island and threatened Weichselmunde, which was still strongly garrisoned by three Russian batteries. The Prussians controlled Danzig, but could not manage to cross the Vistula. The Allies lost over 4,500 men, while the French sufferred 2,500 casaulties. Had we been able to play the scenario longer, the French would likely have extended their margin of victory.
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Marshal Lefebvre's Report
From the outset, Brian and I planned to converge our available forces on Holm Island and avoid engaging Danzig at all costs. Simply approaching the fortress would invite the fire of ten Prussian batteries. I decided to leave the Poles as a screening forcing outside the fort and march all remaining troops toward the Russians. We also realized that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to keep the Russians from making contact with the Danzig garrison, assuming our opponent advanced quickly.
Sure enough, the Russians made a clever end-around and managed to sneak a fast-marching brigade across the Vistula River. But the Prussian garrison made a critical error at this point. They marched a huge mass of troops to a lone bridge crossing guarded by a French brigade. The Prussians could not take advantage of their numbers at the bridge, and this bought Brian and I enough time to consolidate our hold over Holm Island and continue pounding the isloated Russians. Given more time, we could have captured Weichselmunde without much trouble. If however, the Prussians had found a faster way to cross the Vistula, we might have faced a problem.
Sure enough, the Russians made a clever end-around and managed to sneak a fast-marching brigade across the Vistula River. But the Prussian garrison made a critical error at this point. They marched a huge mass of troops to a lone bridge crossing guarded by a French brigade. The Prussians could not take advantage of their numbers at the bridge, and this bought Brian and I enough time to consolidate our hold over Holm Island and continue pounding the isloated Russians. Given more time, we could have captured Weichselmunde without much trouble. If however, the Prussians had found a faster way to cross the Vistula, we might have faced a problem.