Introduction

With the anniversary of this fascinating battle coming up, in fact now probably gone when you read this, I thought that it might be interesting to do a simple wargames scenario based on the engagement. What makes Craonne different is that for once it is the perfect game for the standard club wargamer, because the French army consists almost entirely of units of the Imperial Guard, who we all know are the first units to be collected by the average gamer.

Scenario

Napoleon, rushing from pillar to post to keep the Allies at bay is pursuing Blucher's Army of Silesia when he came up on that army's rearguard, commanded by the Russian general, Sacken. The aim of this game is for Napoleon to break through Sacken with all rapidity to get after Blucher. Sacken must simply delay the French for as long as possible. To that end the game starts at 9.00 am and ends when darkness falls at 5.00pm. The game has been designed around a figure scale of 1:20 and one move equalling an hour, making it suitable for most commercial sets, book or computer. The troop definitions are those used in the Grand Manner rules by the late Peter Gilder, but are easily translated.

Victory Conditions

Napoleon wins if he manages to exit a unit in column of march off the western edge at the table on the Chemin des Dames by the end of the game. If he fails, Sacken is considered to have succeeded in delaying the French by a day, as he did historically.

Deployment

The Allies are all deployed on the table at the start of the game, with only the I Young Guard Corps on for the French. The remainder of the French army arrives on the table according to the reinforcement schedule.

Reinforcement Schedule

10.00am: Point A - II Young Guard Corps; Point C - Guard Cavalry Corps.

Noon: Point B - Grouchy's Cavalry Corps & Old Guard.

Note: troops may arrive deployed in any formation that the commander wishes. Terrain.

The River Aillette is unfordable along its entire length. All the villages should rate as stone cover; the woods are all dense and the hills all steep. The marshes should be uncrossable

Conclusion

This is a small battle capable of being played by two player on an 8' x 5' table, which is coincidentally mine, in either 15mm or 25mm. Some Grand Manner players are not very keen on deep command structures, particularly in small battles, and in a club game it is likely that the total troops would not be much more than a corps each. However this scenario is deliberately short and cut down, to give more gamers the chance of having a go. So go on then!

Orders of Battle

French
Commander: Napoleon

Old Guard - Mortier.

2 x 40 Guard
2 x 32 Elite
12 Skirmishers
2 x Guard 12pdr foot batteries (3 x 12pdr, 1 x how.)

I Young Guard Corps - Ney

2 x 32 Elite
6 x Skirmishers.

II Young Guard Corps - Victor

2 x 32 Elite.
2 x 32 Veterans.
12 Skirmishers.
1 x 6pdr foot battery (3 x 6pdr, 1 x how.)

Guard Cavalry Corps - Nansouty

2 x 10 Guard Lancers.
2 x 10 Guard Chasseurs à Cheval
2 x 10 Empress Dragoons.
2 x 10 Grenadiers à Cheval.
1 x 6pdr Guard Horse battery (3 x 6pdr.)

Line Cavalry Corps - Grouchy

3 x 6 Line Lancers.
3 x 8 Dragoons.
3 x 6 Chasseurs à Cheval/Hussars.
1 x 6pdr line horse battery (3 x 6pdr.)

Allied Army
Commander: Sacken

XII Corps - Vuich

1 x 32 Veterans.
3 x 32 1st Line.
2 x 32 2nd Line.
18 Skirmishers.
1 x 12pdr foot battery. (4 x 12pdr, 2 x licornes)

XIII Corps - Strogonov

3 x 32 1st Line.
1 x 32 2nd Line.
12 Skirmishers.
2 x 8 Hussars.
3 x 5 Cossacks.
1 x 6pdr foot battery (4 x 6pdr, 2 x lic.)

Reserve Cavalry - Wasilchikov

2 x 8 Dragoons.
1 x 8 Uhlans
1 x 8 Hussars.
6 x 5 Cossacks.
1 x 6pdr Horse battery (4 x 6pdrs, 2 x lic.)

Large Map (slow download: 97K)
Jumbo Map (very slow download: 227K)

Letter to Editor Response: FE#35

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