GORODECZNA (1812) Battle Report
The Russian campaign of 1812 brought an unprecedented collection of international powers into battle. Such was the case in August 1812, when former allies Austria and Russia faced each other as enemies. In this historical scenario the Russians defend favorable ground but must avoid encirclement by superior Austrio-Saxon forces under Prince Schwarzenberg. In 1812 General Tormassov conducted a successful fighting withdraw...could the feat be replicated in our 2011 game?
11:00am: Tormassov deploys his entire command in a central position, defending the high ground overlooking the marshy stream. Behind the Russian line to the south is the vital road to Kobrin. Protecting this line of retreat is Tormassov's highest priority. The battle officially begins when a the Saxon VII Corps under Reynier crosses the stream on the Russian left flank. Instead of waiting on the hilltop, Tormassov orders his troops to strike toward the enemy immediately. [Left, a heavy column of Austio-Saxon troops ford the stream] |
11:30am: Seizing the initiative, Reynier's corps presses hard to march due south, bypassing the main Russian force. The Russians respond by advancing to contact, effectively abandoning their hilltop defensive position.
12:00pm: Frimont begins to arrive in the center of the stream! The early Russian plan to destroy Reynier before the rest of Schwarzenberg's command could join the fight is now thrown into disarray. With fresh Austrians appearing in their center, the Russians shift gears and fall back toward the heights. General Markov rushes his infantry to defend the marshy banks of the stream where Frimont is forcing a crossing. [Below, Frimont's infantry surge across the stream into Russian bayonets. From atop the nearby heights, the Russian artillery reserve opens fire]
12:00pm: Frimont begins to arrive in the center of the stream! The early Russian plan to destroy Reynier before the rest of Schwarzenberg's command could join the fight is now thrown into disarray. With fresh Austrians appearing in their center, the Russians shift gears and fall back toward the heights. General Markov rushes his infantry to defend the marshy banks of the stream where Frimont is forcing a crossing. [Below, Frimont's infantry surge across the stream into Russian bayonets. From atop the nearby heights, the Russian artillery reserve opens fire]
12:30pm: In the center, the Austrian infantry attack is checked, and Frimont allows his disordered men time to regroup for a second attempt. Reynier's corps, which had started the battle with such vigor, suddenly loses momentum. The Saxon advance slows to a crawl, leaving Schwarzenberg to wonder if his nominal allies have lost their stomach for the fight. In reality, the wooded, entangled terrain has contributed to Reynier's inability to organize his columns for attack.
1:00pm: In the early afternoon hours, Schwarzenberg's plan may be on the verge of success. Although Reynier's Saxon infantry continue to lag behind, a coordinated allied attack materalizes. From the northwest, Reynier contributes a frontal cavalry charge. From due north, Frimont's infantry charges back across the stream for another attempt. And from the northeast, the fresh Austrian divisions now arrive.
1:00pm: In the early afternoon hours, Schwarzenberg's plan may be on the verge of success. Although Reynier's Saxon infantry continue to lag behind, a coordinated allied attack materalizes. From the northwest, Reynier contributes a frontal cavalry charge. From due north, Frimont's infantry charges back across the stream for another attempt. And from the northeast, the fresh Austrian divisions now arrive.
Schwarzenberg's three pronged advance meets stiff resistance, especially in the center, where the stout Russian infantry are supported by three reserve batteries. It is Reynier's cavalry charge that meets with the greatest success, breaking a Russian square and forcing the Russian heavy dragoons to beat a hasty retreat. This bold charge nearly tears a hole in the center of Tormassov's line...but Reynier's plodding infantry are not nearby to exploit the opportunity. [Right, a Russian battery fires at point-blank range to turn away an Austrian advance]
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Prince Schwarzenberg's Afternoon Offensive
1:30pm: The absence of Saxon infantry on the western flank allows Tormassov enough time to stablize his thin defensive line. Russian cavalry launch a furious counter-attack in the center, but their charge is checked by Reynier. In the center, Markov's infantry continue to hold the stream bank, but the fresh arrival of Austrian divisions to the east threatens to outflank this position. Advancing in dense columns, Austrian infantry splash across the stream and charge uphill. A lone brigade of Russian reserves manage to hold the far flank, but for how long?
2:00pm: Reynier's much-maligned Saxon infantry finally advance into combat! But they are met with an unforgiving Russian defense, which results in a stunning Saxon defeat--an entire brigade of nearly 3,000 men is wiped out in thirty minutes of combat. In the center, Frimont finally secures a foothold on the stream bank, forcing the Russians to give some ground. And to the east, the weight of the Austrian attack threatens to crack the end of the Russian line.
With his men still in good order, General Tormassov commands a tactical withdraw from the field. His men will have to conduct a fighting retreat on the road back to Kobrin.
2:00pm: Reynier's much-maligned Saxon infantry finally advance into combat! But they are met with an unforgiving Russian defense, which results in a stunning Saxon defeat--an entire brigade of nearly 3,000 men is wiped out in thirty minutes of combat. In the center, Frimont finally secures a foothold on the stream bank, forcing the Russians to give some ground. And to the east, the weight of the Austrian attack threatens to crack the end of the Russian line.
With his men still in good order, General Tormassov commands a tactical withdraw from the field. His men will have to conduct a fighting retreat on the road back to Kobrin.
Victory Objectives:The Austrio-Saxon force lost over 4,000 men--most of the casualties were suffered by the poor Saxons in the waning hour of the battle. The Russians lost roughly 1,000 men and maintained a steady defense until the end. But the Russian line was hard pressed on several fronts, with no remaining reserves to match the enemy. This tenuous position may have imploded with a few more scenario turns.
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Prince Schwarzenberg's Report
My mission was to cut off the Russian force and drive onward to the southeast, capturing the road there, thus preventing them from withdrawing. My force of two corps could not be converged prior to giving battle. That they would not arrive simultaneously meant that there was the potential for not being able to achieve superiority against a foe who occupied a strong position on the eastern heights reachable only by traversing a marshy stream, unfordable to my guns and cavalry and which my infantry could ford only with difficulty.
Having seen the area in which the Russians were deployed and knowing that my 1st Corps would approach far to the west of them while at some point my 2nd corps would follow up on our left, I conceived an idea. As I envisioned it, my 1st Corps would advance along the road over the wooded hill to the west of the Russians. The enemy then would have to either allow me to threaten their rear as my force wheeled left towards the southeast or abandon their position on the high ground to my left in order to engage me.
At 11:00AM Reynier’s Corps began to enter the field as planned, while the marshy ground posed a problem, and thus deploying became somewhat ponderous, it was not unexpected. By 11:30 the whole of the corps was on the field and advancing, though except for Zechmeister’s well-handled cavalry division, the rest of the brigades were experiencing a degree of lethargy. In all, things appeared to be working in our favor as the Russian forces turned towards the west and began to form and advance towards us.
At noon the aforementioned cavalry launched the first of several charges they were to make in the next hour on the left of our line, driving back the enemy. Unfortunately the infantry struggled to make an organized advance to take advantage. The struggle to get Reynier’s Corp to quicken its pace was a hindrance for the remainder of the battle.
While this was going on, Seigenthal’s large division, part of Frimont’s Corps, arrived on the road from Paddubno to the left of Reynier’s forces. The marshes made a crossing difficult and it was decided to hold the cavalry brigade back while the infantry brigades formed a bridgehead. To their credit the Russians wisely chose to defend the crossing near the water’s edge. For the next 90 minutes the two sides locked in a struggle back and forth along the stream for no gain by either side.
Meanwhile Reynier’s cavalry felt unable to continue to press the attack without support and wisely dropped back as the infantry came forward. The Russians, seeing the clumsy way in which we maneuvered and recognizing the threat of our reinforcements, paused in their westward advance and began to brace themselves for an assault from our newly arrived forces which by 1:00PM had grown considerably with the arrival of the remainder of Seigenthal’s Corps from the extreme eastern edge near the town of Gorodenzca.
We now at about 1:30 launched an assault across the whole front as we sensed that the enemy could be broken with a concerted effort. While in some places we pushed them back, we enjoyed no great success as our troops were in many places still disordered by the crossing of the marshy places. Even worse, when at last Reynier’s infantry were beginning to get into contact, one of Le Coq’s Saxon brigades was swept from the field by a fierce Russian counter-attack.
At this point our readers will be saddened to learn that we ran out of time for the evening and had to call the game. Judging the relative strengths of both sides, their position and such, had we time to play the remaining 4 turns the Austrians could have handed the Russians a tactical defeat, but the Russians would have won the greater strategic victory, for their force would have severly hampered the Emperor’s timetable and bought valuable time for the Czar’s forces.
Having seen the area in which the Russians were deployed and knowing that my 1st Corps would approach far to the west of them while at some point my 2nd corps would follow up on our left, I conceived an idea. As I envisioned it, my 1st Corps would advance along the road over the wooded hill to the west of the Russians. The enemy then would have to either allow me to threaten their rear as my force wheeled left towards the southeast or abandon their position on the high ground to my left in order to engage me.
At 11:00AM Reynier’s Corps began to enter the field as planned, while the marshy ground posed a problem, and thus deploying became somewhat ponderous, it was not unexpected. By 11:30 the whole of the corps was on the field and advancing, though except for Zechmeister’s well-handled cavalry division, the rest of the brigades were experiencing a degree of lethargy. In all, things appeared to be working in our favor as the Russian forces turned towards the west and began to form and advance towards us.
At noon the aforementioned cavalry launched the first of several charges they were to make in the next hour on the left of our line, driving back the enemy. Unfortunately the infantry struggled to make an organized advance to take advantage. The struggle to get Reynier’s Corp to quicken its pace was a hindrance for the remainder of the battle.
While this was going on, Seigenthal’s large division, part of Frimont’s Corps, arrived on the road from Paddubno to the left of Reynier’s forces. The marshes made a crossing difficult and it was decided to hold the cavalry brigade back while the infantry brigades formed a bridgehead. To their credit the Russians wisely chose to defend the crossing near the water’s edge. For the next 90 minutes the two sides locked in a struggle back and forth along the stream for no gain by either side.
Meanwhile Reynier’s cavalry felt unable to continue to press the attack without support and wisely dropped back as the infantry came forward. The Russians, seeing the clumsy way in which we maneuvered and recognizing the threat of our reinforcements, paused in their westward advance and began to brace themselves for an assault from our newly arrived forces which by 1:00PM had grown considerably with the arrival of the remainder of Seigenthal’s Corps from the extreme eastern edge near the town of Gorodenzca.
We now at about 1:30 launched an assault across the whole front as we sensed that the enemy could be broken with a concerted effort. While in some places we pushed them back, we enjoyed no great success as our troops were in many places still disordered by the crossing of the marshy places. Even worse, when at last Reynier’s infantry were beginning to get into contact, one of Le Coq’s Saxon brigades was swept from the field by a fierce Russian counter-attack.
At this point our readers will be saddened to learn that we ran out of time for the evening and had to call the game. Judging the relative strengths of both sides, their position and such, had we time to play the remaining 4 turns the Austrians could have handed the Russians a tactical defeat, but the Russians would have won the greater strategic victory, for their force would have severly hampered the Emperor’s timetable and bought valuable time for the Czar’s forces.