Wednesday 16 January 2019

Next game, Neerwinden, 18 March 1793

Saturday will see us (me and the chaps) attempt to refight the Battle of Neerwinden. Click here to get the full lowdown on the battle.  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Neerwinden_(1793) 

Planning the game hasn’t been easy as I’ve had to take some liberties with the terrain in order for it all to fit even on my big table. The Austrians under FM Graf Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld were deployed along a ridge in a line even longer than his name running roughly North-South close to the main Brussels road, planning to attack the French in a few days in an attempt to drive them out of the Austrian Netherlands. The more numerous French under General Dumouriez took the initiative and attacked, hitting both ends of the Austrian line. The plan was to attack the Austrian left in the hope that troops would be drawn down from the other flank. The French would then attack the hopefully depleted Austrian right and roll up the line. Great plan! In order to carry out their assault the French have crossed the Klein-Geete by a number of bridges and now have a near impassable obstacle to their rear. The French may have outnumbered the Austrians overall, especially in infantry, but were seriously outnumbered in cavalry. The terrain is fairly open apart from numerous built up areas, most of which are garrisoned by Austrian troops. 
The Austrian commander, FM Friedrich Josias Graf Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
General Charles Francois Doumouriez, the French CinC

I could actually do this game fielding the armies battalion for battalion, squadron for squadron and battery for battery, but I reckon having over 50 battalions on the table, plus cavalry and artillery would be a bit crowded (and getting for 2000 figures). Being a sensible sort of person I have decided to ‘bathtub’ the armies down to a more manageable two thirds (‘ish). Even so they are still pretty large. See below: (Key: G = Grenadiers, R = Regulars, V = Volunteers, Grz= Grenzer, FK = Freikorps)

FRENCH ARMY

General Charles Francois Doumouriez (9)

Right Wing: 

General of Division Jean-Baptiste Cyrus de Timbrune de Thiembronne, Comte de Valence
(8)

5 btns (1G/1R/5V)
Hussars x 1
Dragoons x 1
Foot Artillery x 1
Horse Artillery x 1

General of Division Egalite-fils (Louis Phillipe, Duc de Chartres) (8)

5 btns (1G/2R/2V)
Chasseurs a Cheval x 1
Heavy Cavalry x 1
Foot Artillery x 1

Left Wing: 

General of Division Fransisco de Miranda (9)

Bde Miaczinsky (9)
5 btns (2 R/3V)
Foot Artillery x 1

Bde Champmorin (7)
4 btns (2R/2V)
Heavy Cavalry x 1
Dragoons x 1
Horse Artillery x 1

AUSTRIAN ARMY

FM Friedrich Josias Graf Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (9)

 Right Wing
Advance Guard - FML Archduke Charles (9)
4 btns (1G/1R/1Grz/1FK)
Uhlans x 2
‘Horse’ artillery x 1(light)

Division of FML the Duke of Wurtemburg (8)
3 btns (5R)
Cuirassiers x 2
Foot artillery x 1(Heavy)

Left Wing : 
Division FML Graf von Colloredo (8)
4 btns (R)
Cuirassiers x 2
Foot artillery x 1(Medium)

Reserve Division FML Clerfeyt (8)
4 btns (1G/3R)
Hussars x 2
Foot artillery x 2 (heavy)

Roll on Saturday!

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